Bus routes change as service resumes

Campus bus riders will encounter some changes next week on Route 80 and a new late afternoon express Route 84 to Lot 60 and Eagle Heights has been added.

When standard service resumes on routes 80 and 85 on Tuesday, Sept. 2, bus drivers will have a new route and schedule to follow.

The new Route 80 will no longer serve the stops south of Observatory Drive between Walnut Street and Highland Avenue. The route change will save three minutes of travel time between the Memorial Union, UW Hospital and Eagle Heights.

The new Route 80 schedule times were shortened in anticipation of the Observatory Drive extension; the buses would not be able to maintain their new schedule if they were to continue using the current route.

Until the expected completion of the Observatory Drive project in early October, the Route 80 buses will follow a detour north along Walnut Street to Marsh Drive. Passengers will need to use the stops at the McClimon Track or Lot 60 to access the hospital area.

After 6 p.m., Route 80 will serve Union South via Randall Avenue and West Johnson Street until redevelopment work closes traffic access to that area later this year.

The new express Route 84 makes trips every half hour in the late afternoon, picking up passengers at limited stops and bypassing the hospital area via Lot 60 to Eagle Heights. It will be in service on both recess and standard weekdays between approximately 4:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Current Metro bus routes 2, 9, 11, 28, 38, 44 and 48 will continue to serve Highland Avenue and the hospital area through Saturday, Oct. 3. Those and other Metro routes will undergo changes that will take effect on Sunday, Oct. 4. New ride guides will be available as that date nears.

Bus stop locations in the vicinity of construction zones will remain in flux as the work is being completed.

Another change to note is that during recess service periods, Route 85, known as the South Campus Circulator, will begin operating at 7:25 a.m., one trip earlier than the previous schedule.

For complete information on routes, stops and schedules, visit http://www.mymetrobus.com. Fliers will also be available on the buses.