East Link Connections

On March 4, 2025, the King County Council voted to pass King County Metro's East Link Connections bus restructure. This restructure is based around the upcoming openings of Sound Transit's Downtown Redmond Link Extension and East Link Extension. Overall, Metro is introducing 8 new routes, revising 16 routes, and deleting 20 routes. Many of the routes getting deleted are currently suspended.

Most of the changes outlined below will be implemented in Fall 2025 alongside the full East Link Extension opening. To better support the Redmond Link Extension opening on May 10, Metro will implement the B Line changes and partially implement the changes of routes 224, 250, 269 and 930 the same day.

B Line Bus at Bellevue Transit Center

Since this restructure was last covered on the Blog in February 2024, a few routes have been changed:

• Route 240: Now serves 112th Ave SE and East Main instead of running on 108th Ave SE.
• Route 249: This route has been converted to DART (Dial-a-ride-transit) with a new DART deviation area in Beaux Arts.
• Route 203: Weekday peak frequency changed from 20 minutes to 30 minutes.
• Route 215: Weekday peak frequency changed from 15/45 to 30/90 (frequency between Mercer Island and Issaquah/North Bend).
• Route 218: Weekday peak frequency changed from 15 minutes to 30 minutes.
• Route 223: Mid-day frequency improved from 30 minutes to 20 minutes.
• Route 251: Weekday daytime frequency changed from 30 minutes to 60 minutes. The start of weekend service was pushed back from 6am to 7am.
• Route 256: Weekday peak frequency changed from 12-30 minutes" to 30 minutes.
• Route 342: Now deleted.

For more information on how Metro used the feedback it received to adjust the above routes, please read Appendix B of the East Link Connections Equity Impact Review and Recommendation Development Report(page 595) that John Fshared in a recent comment.

The image slider below shows Metro's Eastside network before (left) and after (right) the restructure. As the maps have been significantly compressed, full-sized versions are linked here for the current network and the future network.

Metro's Eastside network before and after the East Link Restructure

Metro's proposal no longer includes Sound Transit's route changes; however, the Staff Report (file download) included in the King County Ordinance does reference ST routes in a few scenarios. This article will do the same, but ST routes are still subject to change. Sound Transit plans to share their initial restructure proposal in April 2025.

The following sections will outline the planned route changes by geographic sub-area: Central (Bellevue), North (Kirkland/Redmond/Bothell/Woodinville), South (Renton/Mercer Island), East (Issaquah/North Bend), and West (Seattle). Connections to Link stations in bold and Sound Transit routes are italicized as they are subject to change.

Central (Bellevue)

Bellevue has six stations on the Link 2 Line: South Bellevue, East Main, Bellevue Downtown, Wilburton, Spring District, and BelRed. To improve access to/from these stations and various neighborhoods, the following routes will be added or revised.

Route 220 is a new route that will travel between Eastgate and Downtown Bellevue, via Bellevue College, Lake Hills, and East Main. This route will replace part of Route 271. The planned frequency is similar to the current level of service provided by Route 271, though Route 220 will run later into the night (current service ends around 10pm).

Route 223 is a new route that will travel between Eastgate and Downtown Redmond, via Overlake Village, Crossroads, and Lake Hills. Between Downtown Redmond and Crossroads, this route will replace part of Route 221. South of Crossroads, this route will replace part of Route 226.Weekday frequency along the whole route will be improved as Route 221 and Route 226 both currently run every 30 minutes.

Route 226 will be updated to cover a new part of Lake Hills and it will be extended to South Bellevue. The updated routing eliminates the Northup Way detour, remaining on 164th Ave NE. South of NE 8th St it replaces part of Route 221.Weekday peak frequency will be improved from every 30 minutes to every 20 minutes.

Route 245 will be slightly modified to remove the current routing to Factoria. Instead, the route will terminate at Eastgate.Frequency along the route is unchanged.

Route 249 will be updated to run between the Spring District and South Bellevue, via South Kirkland, Clyde Hill, Medina, Downtown Bellevue, and Beaux Arts Village. This route will be converted into a DART route with a new DART deviation area in Beaux Arts. Between South Bellevue and Downtown Bellevue, this route will replace part of Route 241. West of Downtown Bellevue, Route 249 will replace part of Route 271 to Medina. The Overlake segment of the current Route 249 will be removed and partially replaced by Route 222.Weekday daytime frequency on the section of the route between Downtown Bellevue and Medina will drop from 15 minutes to 30 minutes. Frequency along the rest of the route will remain similar to current service levels.

Route 270 is a new route that will travel between Downtown Bellevue and the University District, via Northwest Bellevue. The overall route replaces part of Route 271 and specifically replaces part of Route 249 on north Bellevue Way.Frequency along the overall route will remain consistent, and weekday frequency in northwest Bellevue will improve from every 60 minutes to every 15 minutes.

RapidRide B Line will be updated to extend to Downtown Redmond and to skip the Overlake Village detour. The B Line will stay on 156th Ave NE between Crossroads and Redmond Technology with a new stop at 156th Ave & 28th St. Frequency will remain the same. The B Line routing change will begin on May 10.

A new Metro Flex area will be added in the Crossroads and Overlake neighborhoods. Metro Flex is an app-based taxi service serving trips in a dedicated zone. This new area will span from NE 8th Ave to NE 24th St between 148th Ave NE and Lake Samammish. It will extend north of 24th St to 31st St in Overlake to include Overlake Village.

The following routes in Bellevue will be removed. Most of the areas served by these routes will still be served by a replacement route.

Route 221: Replaced by routes 222, 223 and 226.

Route 241: Replaced by routes 203 and 240.

Route 246: Replaced by routes 203, 220, 249 and 270.

Route 271: Replaced by routes 203, 220, 249, 270 and ST 554.

North (Kirkland/Redmond/Bothell/Woodinville)

Redmond has four stations on the Link 2 Line: Overlake Village, Redmond Technology, Marymoor Village, and Downtown Redmond. The routes discussed in this section will be added or updated to provide better connectivity between the more northern cities on the Eastside. Routes 230, 231, 239, and 255 are not directly impacted by this restructure.

Route 222 is a new route that will travel from Cottage Lake to Redmond Technology, via Avondale, Education Hill, Downtown Redmond, Idylwood, and Overlake Village. Between Cottage Lake and Education Hill, it replaces part of Route 931. Between Education Hill and Downtown Redmond, Route 222 replaces part of Route 221. The south most part of the route between Idylwood and Redmond Technology partially replaces part of Route 249.Frequency along most of the route is similar to current service levels. With this new route, Cottage Lake and Education Hill will now receive all-day service.

Route 224 is going to be slightly modified to stop near the Downtown Redmond Link Station.The route's frequency will be improved from running every 90 minutes to running every 60 minutes. Route 224's routing change will be implemented on May 10.

Route 225 will be slightly updated to terminate at Overlake Village instead of Redmond Technology.Weekday daytime frequency will be improved from every 60 minutes to every 30 minutes.

Route 250 will be revised to serve Downtown Redmond. Additionally, all trips will travel to both Bear Creek and Avondale.As all trips will travel to Avondale, weekday daytime frequency between Bear Creek and Avondale will improve from 30 minutes to 15 minutes. Route 250's routing change to serve Downtown Redmond will start on May 10.

Route 251 is a new route that will travel between Woodinville and Marymoor Village, via Education Hill, Downtown Redmond, and Bear Creek Park & Ride. This route primarily covers a new area and is the first route to directly connect Woodinville and Redmond.

Route 256 is a new route that will travel between Woodinville and downtown Seattle, via Totem Lake and South Lake Union. This route replaces the express portion of routes 257 and 311.

Route 930 will have a new stop added to its route in Downtown Redmond at Cleveland St & 164th Ave NE. Service will be increased to include running on Saturday and Sunday. The new stop at Downtown Redmond will open on May 10.

Route 931 will be updated to travel between Duvall and UW Bothell, via Cottage Lake and Woodinville. This route will replace part of Route 232 between Cottage Lake and Duvall.

The following routes will be removed. Most of the areas served by these routes will still be served by a replacement route.

Route 221: Replaced by routes 222, 223, and 226.

Route 232: Suspended since 2023. Replaced by routes 222, 931, and Link 2 Line.

Route 237: Suspended since 2023. Replaced by Route 256.

Route 252: Suspended since 2020. Replaced by Route 256.

Route 257: Replaced by Route 256.

Route 268: Suspended since 2023. Replaced by routes 269, ST 542, and Link 2 Line.

Route 311: Replaced by Route 256.

South (Renton/Mercer Island)

Mercer Island has one new Link station in the I-90 right-of-way. Changes in this section focus on connecting existing routes to new Link stations.

Route 111 will be updated to terminate at South Bellevue and to shorten its loop in East Renton Highlands. Additionally, it will be upgraded from a peak-only route to run all day, everyday at 30 minute frequency (15 minutes during peak).

Route 204 will start running on Sundays.The routing and frequency at other times will remain the same.

Route 240 is getting updated to serve South Bellevue. Its current routing on the Lake Hills Connector will be partially replaced by Route 220.The weekday daytime frequency will be improved from 20-30 minutes to 15 minutes.

Route 630 will be slightly revised to serve Mercer Island and Judkins Park. As Al S. previously noted, it is unclear how this route will conveniently serve Judkins Park. The closest stops it can use are at Rainier Ave S & S Charles St. The route's frequency will be slightly improved from 40 minutes to 30 minutes.

The following routes will be removed. Most of the areas served by these routes will still be served by a replacement route.

Route 114: Suspended since 2023. Replaced by Route 240.

Route 167: Suspended since 2023. Replaced by routes 111, 240, 270, and Link 2 Line.

Route 342: Suspended since 2023. Replaced by routes 111, 240, 331, ST 522, and ST 566.

East (Issaquah/North Bend)

The route changes in this section primarily focus on truncating routes at Link stations. This lets the bus routes run more often and avoid the often-congested I-90 bridge into Seattle.

Route 203 is a new route that will travel between Issaquah Highlands and South Bellevue, via north Issaquah, Issaquah Transit Center, Newport, and Factoria. Unlike the current Route 271, Route 203 will stay south of I-90 until Issaquah. This will result in a loss of service along West Lake Sammamish Parkway. It will run every 30 minutes all day, everyday and every 60 minutes at night. This route will replace parts of routes 241, 246, and 271. The frequency along most segments of the route will remain the same as today.

Route 215 is a new route that will travel between Mercer Island and North Bend, via Eastgate, Issaquah Highlands, and Snoqualmie. Trips will run every 30 minutes between Mercer Island and Issaquah Highlands. Every third trip will continue to North Bend, resulting in a 90 minute frequency between Mercer Island and North Bend.Frequency between Issaquah and North Bend will be improved from 120 minutes to 90 minutes. Additionally, service along this segment will now run on Sunday.

Route 218 will be updated to terminate at Mercer Island. Its frequency will be improved from five peak-direction trips per day to run every 30 minutes in the peak direction between 5:30am to 9:00am and 4:15pm to 7:15pm.

Route 269 will be updated to travel between Marymoor Village and Mercer Island. The route will no longer serve Redmond Technology or Overlake Village.Weekday peak frequency will be improved from 30 minutes to 15 minutes. Additionally, this route will now run during the day on weekends. Route 269 will start serving Marymoor Village on May 10.

The following routes will be removed. Most of the areas served by these routes will still be served by a replacement route.

Route 200: Suspended since Sept 2023. Replaced by ST Route 554.

Route 208: Replaced by Route 215.

Route 212: Replaced by routes 215, 218, 226, 229, and Link 2 Line.

Route 214: Suspended since Sept 2023. Replaced by routes 203, ST 554, Link 2 Line.

Route 216: Suspended since Sept 2023. Replaced by routes 215, 269, and Link 2 Line.

Route 217: Suspended since Sept 2023. Replaced by Route 203 and Link 2 Line.

Route 219: Replaced by routes 215, 269, and Link 2 Line.

West (Seattle)

Seattle has one new Link station in the I-90 right-of-way near Judkins Park. The 2 Line will also serve the existing Link stations between International District/Chinatown and Lynnwood City Center.

Route 8 will be rerouted to stop at Judkins Park. The route's 23rd Ave detour will be extended to run between Yesler Way and Massachusetts St. This change will leave a few stops on MLK Way without service, though ridership data show those stops have minimal use. The updated Route 8 will be part of a bus bridge" between Mount Baker (1 Line) and Judkins Park (2 Line). Routes 7, 9, 48, and 106 will also connect these stations.

Conclusion

The full Link 2 Line will bring a much needed boost to connectivity on the Eastside. Consolidating routes does leave some areas without coverage, but this often results in a higher frequency route nearby. The removal of most peak-only routes to Seattle in favor of an all day route to a Link station better aligns the network with post-pandemic ridership patterns.