Center City Major Projects

Seattle is growing and its SDOT's responsibility to build a transportation system that keeps us moving, fosters retail and protects the environment. We must respond to residents, commuters, shoppers, service providers and visitors, and we must provide for transit, freight, bikes, pedestrians and cars.

Continue reading to learn more about transportation projects underway in the Center City and take a moment to look at the construction schedule.

Center City Access Strategy
This action strategy identifies solutions to improve access and mobility for the 10 downtown neighborhoods. Over 20 projects are underway or have been completed. Click here to learn more.


Bridging the Gap
Thanks to the voter approved transportation funding package, SDOT is catching up on maintenance backlog. Several Center City streets are scheduled for repaving over the next five years. Click here to find out more.



Alaskan Way Viaduct and Seawall Replacement Program

The City of Seattle is committed to replacing the ailing Alaskan Way Viaduct and Seawall. Recently plans were released to move forward with safety and mobility improvements on the north and south ends of the SR99 corridor.

As the project team determines the final design for our central waterfront, the City and region are considering things from a broader perspective and redefining capacity. Already we are improving transportation to decrease wheels on the street:

• New streetcar
• More bus service with TransitNow and Bridging the Gap funding packages
• Link Light Rail
• Carpools
• Bikes and walking

We are rethinking:

• Interface between Interstate and city streets
• Current traffic flow
• Parking management
• Signals and signs

Our success will be measured by the following four objectives:

• Maintain vitality and livability of the Center City
• Maintain access to businesses
• Keep people, goods and services moving, and
• Reduce emissions
  

Negotiations to transfer the station to the City of Seattle are underway. The transfer means first floor and exterior renovations can resume. BNSF currently owns the station, Amtrak operates it and WSDOT contributes to restoration efforts. Currently Amtrak and Sound Transit operate daily passenger trains at the station carrying 1.7 million passengers annually…and growing.

By removing traffic from Valley Street it can be narrowed to a two-lane, two-way street embracing elements of the new Lake Union Park. SDOT is completing a federal Environmental Assessment (EA) and we expect to finish design in early 2009.

New Seattle Streetcar Line
Seattle's first modern streetcar line began operating December 2007. The 2.6 mile route connects South Lake Union, the new Lake Union Park, Denny Triangle and the Downtown Retail Core. In December, trains started running every 15 minutes. Extensions to create a streetcar network are under consideration.


Spokane Street Viaduct Widening and New Fourth Avenue Off-Ramp
The S. Spokane Street Viaduct is a critical connection linking I-5 to the Port of Seattle terminal, businesses along the Duwamish River and West Seattle to I-5, I-90 and SR99. This project creates direct eastbound access to Fourth Avenue South allowing freight to avoid train tracks, and facilitates direct bus access to the E-3 Busway. If completed prior to Alaskan Way construction the project helps ease congestion by creating an alternate route from West Seattle to downtown.


SR 519 Phase II Surface Improvements
The City of Seattle, WSDOT, and  Port of Seattle reached an agreement on improving connections for ferry and freight traffic to the Port of Seattle terminals and the central waterfront area. SR519 separates car, freight, pedestrian and rail traffic to help improve traffic flow, pedestrian safety and reduce the risk of collisions. Environmental review is currently underway. Project construction will be carefully coordinated with construction of SR99’s south end.


SR520 Bridge Replacement and HOV Project
A one-and-a-half-mile long facility, the SR 520 Evergreen Point Bridge is vulnerable to windstorms and earthquakes and needs to be replaced.  The City of Seattle is working with our regional partners and the state to determine details such as: how to shrink the footprint and minimize impacts to our neighborhoods and determining the interchange location. Cost to replace the structure is estimated to range from $3.9 to $4.4 billion.

I-90 Two-way Transit Lanes and HOV Project
This project adds High Occupancy Vehicle lanes to the outer sections of I-90 between Seattle and Bellevue. It also constructs HOV on- and off-ramps on Mercer Island and improves HOV access at Bellevue Way.

In 2007, WSDOT is constructing the westbound HOV lane from E. Mercer Way to 80th Avenue SE. The project accommodates future plans to use the center road for high capacity transit, such as Light Rail.