Changes to 3rd Avenue coming sooner than expected

Starting Monday morning, vehicles will be barred from driving through 3rd Avenue in Downtown Seattle for most of the day.

3rd Avenue will now be reserved just for buses and bikes from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day, no cars allowed. The changes will affect 3rd Avenue from Stewart to just south of Yesler Way.

This is part of the city’s plan to lessen congestion and smooth out traffic in this part of downtown. The changes were originally going to begin in September, but the start date was moved up.

Before this, cars already weren’t allowed on the street during rush hour, but now the restrictions have been increased to 12 hours per day, 7 days a week.

Cars will be given a block grace period, where if a driver accidentally turns on they can get off after a block.