King County Metro's plan for Renton's buses keeps downtown stops on Main Avenue, Mill Avenue, Bronson Way, 2nd Street and 3rd Street. What would move is the place where routes meet. The current Renton Transit Center sits between the Pavilion and the parking garage at South 2nd Street and Logan Avenue South. Under Metro's proposal, its job goes to a new center being built at South Grady Way and Rainier Avenue South, two-thirds of a mile south.
That leaves two groups of riders. On most routes, the trip downtown looks about the same as it does now. On four routes, reaching downtown would mean a transfer at Grady Way. Metro's Renton Area Mobility Project survey is open through November 30, and the comments from this round will shape the network Metro brings back in mid-2027.
Downtown Keeps Two Bus Corridors and Loses One Block
The project page splits downtown service into two street corridors that would carry on:
- 2nd and 3rd streets: Route 101, the RapidRide F Line, and the future RapidRide I Line, which runs today as Route 160.
- Main Avenue, Mill Avenue and Bronson Way: routes 101, 105, 240 and 907.
After serving downtown, each of these routes would take the most direct path to the new center. The 101, 105, 240 and 907 would go by way of Grady Way. The F and I lines would use Rainier Avenue.
The downtown block that would lose buses outright is the transit center itself. Metro proposes ending bus service on Logan Avenue South between 2nd and 3rd streets and on the east-west roadway that runs through the current center. That stretch borders the city's HEART Block, which includes Piazza Park, the Renton Pavilion & Events Center and Legacy Square.
Main Avenue South is a good example of what stays the same. The Rose Gift House and Coffee at 226 Main Avenue South, Suite B, was bought this summer by Ashley MonXey Settle, who set its grand reopening for October 30 and 31, the Renton Reporter reported. It sits on the corridor where routes 101, 105, 240 and 907 would keep their downtown stops.
Four Routes Would Need a Transfer to Reach Downtown
Riders on these routes are the ones the move would affect most. Metro's own October 1 post puts it plainly:
"Most routes will use more direct paths to and from the new transit center. As a result, fewer routes will directly serve some parts of downtown Renton."
| Route | Proposed change | How you'd reach downtown |
|---|---|---|
| 106 | Would not directly serve downtown; takes Rainier Ave to the new center | Transfer at the new center, or use the stops at Rainier & 3rd Pl southbound and Sunset & Hardier eastbound |
| 107 | Same as Route 106 | Same as Route 106 |
| 148 | Shortened to start and end at the new center | Transfer to 101, 105, 240, 907, F Line or I Line |
| 153 | Shortened to start and end at the new center; keeps Lind Ave and 7th St in both directions | Transfer to 101, 105, 240, 907, F Line or I Line |
| 102 | Already skips downtown; South Renton Park & Ride trips become Route 101 trips | Fairwood keeps the same number of 102 trips |
The page lists a few more streets that would lose service. Buses would stop using a stretch of South 7th Street near the park-and-ride, Shattuck Avenue South, and the run through the South Renton Park & Ride on Lake Avenue South. South of I-405, the F Line would cross the freeway on Oakesdale Avenue SW instead of Lind Avenue SW, and it would no longer serve SW 16th Street, Lind Avenue or 7th Street. Once the new center opens, the bus stops at the South Renton Park & Ride would close, but the parking would stay.
What Riders Would Get in Return
The proposal adds service in a few places, and most of it goes to routes that keep their downtown stops.
Route 101 gets the biggest change. It would run every 15 minutes from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays, and its first weekday trip to Seattle would leave around 4:45 a.m. Metro says the total number of trips between Renton and downtown Seattle would stay the same as today. The 15-minute service comes from folding the 102 trips that now start and end at the South Renton Park & Ride into the 101.
Route 907 would run longer weekday hours, from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Those hours come from Route 143, which was suspended in 2020 during Metro's pandemic response. The proposal would remove it for good, since other routes already provide all-day service to the places it used to serve.
Every other Metro route in Renton would keep its current frequency. Metro Flex zones in Skyway and the Renton Highlands would serve both downtown and the new center, with redrawn boundaries meant to reduce overlap.
Why the Hub Is Moving to Grady and Rainier
The new center will tie Metro routes and Metro Flex to the RapidRide I Line and Sound Transit's Stride S1 bus rapid transit line, which links Burien, Renton and Bellevue. Sound Transit and the city broke ground on February 4, 2026. The design calls for eight bus bays, covered waiting areas and a signalized intersection.
Here's how the dates line up from this month forward:
- Late 2026: Construction at Grady and Rainier shifts from underground utility work to above-ground work, which the city expects to run through 2027.
- 2027: Metro plans to launch RapidRide I Line service.
- June to July 2027: Metro brings revised service concepts back for a second round of comments.
- Early 2028: The city expects the transit center to be finished, with landscaping and paving wrapping up.
- 2028: Sound Transit expects Stride S1 service to begin.
- Winter 2028, then as early as fall 2028: The King County Council reviews the final network, and the redesigned service could start.
Some I Line work is already visible on the hill. The city's October 21 construction update listed October work at Talbot Road South near Valley Medical Center and at South 37th Street. That included utility drilling and replacing sidewalk, curb and gutter. A Metro notice from September 30 said the Valley Medical Center station work would close the northbound right lane on Talbot Road and the sidewalk on the east side. People on foot can still use the west side.
The Bus Bays Next to Legacy Square Don't Have a Next Use Yet
The city adopted its Renton Downtown Civic Core and Action Plan in 2018, and it was written in part to plan for this move. The pieces of the HEART Block came first. Legacy Square and Piazza Park now sit around the corner of 2nd, 3rd and Logan, and the transit center is still running between the Pavilion and the garage.
The city's project page says the transit center will move to Rainier and Grady in 2028, and that "it will be determined later what entity will replace the transit center location." Earlier planning documents floated ideas for that land. None of them is an approved project today, so the bus bays at the center of downtown's new civic block have no announced future.
What's Still Open Before November 30
Everything above is a proposal. Metro calls this stage Phase 1, service concepts, and it runs from October through November 2026. Final approval rests with the King County Council.
For riders on the 106, 107, 148 or 153, this round is the clearest chance to tell Metro how a transfer at Grady Way would affect a trip to downtown. Riders on the 101 and 907 can weigh in on the earlier start and longer hours. Metro's project page has a map for each corridor showing current and proposed routes, along with the other routes riders could use for destinations their bus would no longer reach. The survey closes November 30.
If a 2028 route change will affect how your Renton home connects to downtown or Seattle, it's worth knowing where your property stands now. AMP Properties Group NW can run an instant home valuation, and if you'd rather move before construction wraps up, we can talk through a fast cash sale on a timeline that works for you.
