At the bottom of 73rd Avenue NE, where it meets SR 522, the Kenmore Park-and-Ride is still open and buses still stop beside it. Since Sept. 28, though, the sidewalk in front of its east lot has been closed around the clock. Sound Transit's crews have already poured the first shelter foundation for a Stride station in the eastbound lanes there. A few blocks north, 73rd is carrying all the through traffic that 80th Avenue NE can't take until December.
None of these changes was planned as part of the others. A bus restructure, a city sidewalk project and a regional transit build each arrived on its own schedule. Taken together, they amount to an early version of the network Kenmore is supposed to have in 2028, and 73rd Avenue NE is where they overlap.
What changed on Aug. 29
King County Metro's fall service change took effect Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026, and Route 372 was deleted. That same day Sound Transit moved the north end of Route 522 to a different light rail station.
| Route | Before Aug. 29 | Since Aug. 29 |
|---|---|---|
| Metro 372 | Bothell to the U District via Bothell Way and Lake City Way | Deleted |
| ST 522 | Ended at Roosevelt Station | Ends at Shoreline South/148th Station, every 15 minutes all day, every day, with every other trip continuing to UW Bothell |
| Metro 331 | Ran between Kenmore and Shoreline | Extended past Kenmore to UW Bothell; 30-minute service, 20 minutes at peak, according to Seattle Transit Blog's preview |
| Metro 72 | Did not exist | New route from Shoreline South through Lake City to UW Seattle; Seattle Transit Blog reported service every 10 minutes on weekdays and every 15 on weekends |
The Seattle Transit Blog preview says the change to the 522 "sets up the route for its conversion to the Stride S3 Line in 2028." So the 522 now follows the S3's future route, ending at the same light rail station the S3 will use. The bus that serves the Park-and-Ride today is running the route the station will serve later.
The transfer that replaced the one-seat ride
For anyone in Kenmore headed to the University of Washington's Seattle campus, the main loss is the direct ride. The Urbanist reported that the new routes "come at the cost of losing a one-seat-ride directly to the heart of the UW campus from Lake Forest Park, Kenmore and Bothell." The extended 331 reaches UW Bothell, not UW Seattle.
Metro says the network was designed around a transfer. The 522 carries riders from the Northshore to Shoreline South, and the transfer points are at NE 145th Street. From there, Route 72 runs through Lake City to UW Seattle. The Urbanist also pointed out that riders switching between the 72 and the 522 at that intersection have to cross a wide state highway, unless they make the transfer at the light rail station, which adds time. One rider commenting on a Shoreline Area News report said Metro's trip planner had suggested crossing at 27th NE, "where there is no light and no crosswalk."
Metro gave its reasons publicly. According to agency figures cited by The Urbanist, 85% of the 372's riders were south of NE 145th Street, where the new Routes 72 and 77 now serve more destinations. A Metro spokesperson also told the outlet:
"There is no lost coverage as new routes replace Route 372, and there will be more service provided where the majority of ridership on the current Route 372 occurs."
Metro also shared a Google Maps estimate showing a trip from UW Bothell to Stevens Way on the Seattle campus taking 56 minutes on the new 522 routing, compared with about an hour before. The city councils of Bothell, Kenmore and Lake Forest Park had all asked for the 372's retirement to be reconsidered. An ordinance to restore the route was introduced at the King County Council on Aug. 18. As of early October, the council's legislative record still shows it "In Committee," with no action since it was referred. Metro's Sept. 22 explainer didn't announce any new service. It said the schedules and routing "were updated Aug. 29." For now, the network that started on Aug. 29 is the one Kenmore has.
Why 80th Avenue's traffic is now on 73rd
The road detour adds to the bus changes. The City of Kenmore has closed 80th Avenue NE to through traffic between NE 185th Street and SR 522, 24 hours a day, through December 2026. The city calls that date subject to change, and residents within the work zone keep local access. In the city's words, 80th is an arterial carrying more than 6,500 vehicles a day and is "frequently traveled by Snohomish County commuters to access SR522."
According to the city's project page, that traffic is being rerouted like this:
- Southbound through traffic on 80th is stopped and sent west on NE 192nd Street to 73rd Avenue NE.
- Drivers heading north toward Bothell and Snohomish County are asked to use 73rd as their north-south route.
- The intersection of 73rd Avenue NE and NE 192nd Street is temporarily an all-way stop.
- WSDOT is adding morning green time for the left turn from southbound 73rd onto eastbound SR 522 to handle the extra detour traffic.
- Crews work 10-hour shifts, Monday through Thursday, between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.
The detour has a specific end condition. According to the city, it stays in place until new curbs and chicanes are installed on both sides of 80th and the pavement is wide enough again for two-way traffic after hours.
The finished street will work differently. The posted limit on 80th is currently 35 mph, but the city measured 85th-percentile speeds near 39 mph in residential areas. The project lowers the limit to 30 mph. It also adds continuous sidewalks on both sides for half a mile, buffered and protected bike lanes in each direction, three new crosswalks with rectangular rapid flashing beacons, and a bike box at SR 522. The city says the project's purpose is to connect residents safely to the Burke-Gilman Trail.
The station going in at the bottom of 73rd
The 73rd Avenue detour ends at the corner where Sound Transit is building the largest of Kenmore's three Stride S3 stops. The S3 project page lists Kenmore stations at 61st Avenue NE, 68th Avenue NE and the Kenmore Park-and-Ride at 73rd Avenue NE. Sound Transit's Aug. 6 update reported underground utility work at the 61st, 68th and 73rd station areas, trenching across SR 522, and the first shelter foundation poured at the 73rd eastbound station. That station's first platform pour was next on the list.
For people on foot, the Park-and-Ride sidewalk closure is the change most likely to affect a regular walk. According to Sound Transit's Sept. 25 alert, it is scheduled to last through December 2026, and:
- pedestrians are detoured to 73rd Avenue NE, 77th Avenue NE and the Burke-Gilman Trail
- the Park-and-Ride stays open
- the adjacent Metro bus stop stays open
Sound Transit's August update said the Burke-Gilman Trail was expected to stay open during that phase of station work. It also warned of temporary overnight lane closures, detours and turn restrictions along SR 522.
Two separate projects are now sending people to the same alternate routes. Drivers leaving 80th are sent to 73rd. Pedestrians walking around the Park-and-Ride are sent to 73rd, 77th or the trail. At the intersection of 73rd and SR 522, both detours meet at a station still being built.
What the finished corridor is meant to do
According to Sound Transit's S3 timeline, S3 service opens in 2028, not counting parking. The line will run from Shoreline South/148th Station to the future Bothell/Woodinville Transit Center, where it connects with the S2. Buses will come every 10 to 15 minutes for 17 or more hours a day, seven days a week. The 522 already runs every 15 minutes all day and already ends at Shoreline South. When Stride arrives, the endpoint and the frequency will stay about the same. What changes is the vehicle and the stations it stops at.
The 80th Avenue project fits the same plan from the residential side. Once finished, its protected bike lanes and continuous sidewalks will run from NE 185th Street down to SR 522, about a mile and a half east of the 73rd Avenue station.
The 73rd Avenue calendar between now and December
Several fall events in Kenmore are on or close to the streets under construction. Here is the season in order:
- Saturday, Oct. 17: Jack Crawford Day at Log Boom Park, a volunteer day to clean up and maintain the park.
- Saturday, Oct. 24, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.: The Fall Residential Recycling Event, which the city lists at a new location, Kenmore Middle School, 20323 66th Ave NE.
- Sunday, Nov. 1, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.: Kenmore's third annual Día de los Muertos celebration at The Hangar in Kenmore Town Square, with Mariachi Fiesta Seattle, Baile Folklórico Colibrí, food from La Costeñita Cuisine, and crafts. Admission is free.
- Saturdays, Nov. 7 and 14: Community Fall Tree Planting events at the Wallace Swamp Creek main parking lot, 19851 73rd Ave NE. That address is on the 80th Avenue detour route.
- December 2026: The scheduled end of both the 80th Avenue through-traffic closure and the Park-and-Ride sidewalk closure. The city and Sound Transit both say the timelines may change.
Anyone heading to the tree planting on a Saturday is in luck, because 80th Avenue crews work Monday through Thursday. Detour traffic doesn't stop on weekends, so the all-way stop at 73rd and NE 192nd stays in place.
Some homes in Kenmore will be a short walk from a Stride station in 2028, and some sit on streets getting new sidewalks this winter. If you're wondering how that affects what your home is worth, Wanis Nadir can compare your address with recent sales along the SR 522 corridor. Get Your Instant Home Valuation to start with real numbers.
