Interbay Trail Connections Project

What's happening now?

Work on our Interbay Trail Connections project is substantially complete, so this will be the last communication you receive about construction.

Thank you for your feedback and patience during this project. We've heard from over a hundred people who live, work, and travel in the area. Our project team read and considered every email, and talked to many people who called and met with us.

Through the outreach process, we heard both positive and negative feedback about our work. This safety project adds a significant piece to Seattle's bikeway network between major trails. We've separated people biking and walking from people driving, and implemented a new street design aimed to reduce speeding and the number of crashes.

We also heard that people were frustrated with the construction timeline, where we did outreach, and increased travel times. You can learn more about the concerns residents shared on the SDOT blog.

Moving forward, we're committed to periodic monitoring of the new design to learn more about what's happening. We can make design tweaks and respond to feedback as it comes in. Over the next few weeks, you may see us doing minor construction work and installing some remaining items. The orange cones will be in place until some backordered materials arrive.

To request city services such as leaf sweeps and pothole filling, use reporting tool Find It, Fix It or call 206-684-ROAD (7623). If you have questions or concerns, please email our team at walkandbike@seattle.gov.

Please travel safely in this corridor so we can make streets safer for everyone in your neighborhood. There have been dozens of reported crashes here over recent years. Our citywide Vision Zero goal is to end traffic deaths and serious injuries on city streets by 2030, which will take a concerted effort from all of us to travel safely.

Again, thank you for your patience and feedback throughout this project.

Project Overview

This project includes redesigning 20th Ave W, Gilman Ave W, W Government Way, and W Emerson Pl to include protected bike lanes and more intuitive and comfortable intersections that keep people moving. It adds 2-way protected bike lanes on the north and east side of the streets. There are on-street parking impacts on W Government Way.

We've also added a new bike signal at a redesigned intersection of 20th Ave W and W Dravus St, and updated intersection design at Gilman Ave W and W Emerson Pl, and at Thorndyke Ave W and 20th Ave W. A new marked crosswalk has been added across W Government Way at 30th Ave W. See plan set for details.

Project Details

Project map
Overview map (click to enlarge)

Cross sections
Cross sections (click to enlarge)

Project Background

Creating protected bike lanes on the route between the Ship Canal Trail and the Elliot Bay trail via Gilman Ave W and W Emerson Pl is called out in the city's Bicycle Master Plan (BMP) as a catalyst project. Extensive public outreach and engagement guided the plan's development. Seattle multi-use trails link neighborhoods to business districts and create connections with recreational and natural areas within the Puget Sound region. Multi-use trails contribute to our mission to deliver a safe, reliable, efficient, and socially equitable transportation system that enhances Seattle's environment and economic vitality.

When we drafted our latest BMP implementation plan, this project was given a high priority because it completes a large segment of the all ages and abilities active transportation network we're building across the city. It also leverages the investments we already have by connecting more people to existing trails.

Funding

These projects are funded by the 9-year Levy to Move Seattle, approved by voters in 2015.

Project Materials

Engagement

We began engaging with people who live, work, and travel through Interbay and Magnolia last summer to learn how people would like to use the streets. While construction is complete, we remain committed to building a productive, inclusive, and collaborative relationship with all who live, work, or travel in the project area. Please contact us with any questions.

Transportation

Greg Spotts, Director
Address: 700 5th Ave, Suite 3800, Seattle, WA, 98104
Mailing Address: PO Box 34996, Seattle, WA, 98124-4996
Phone: (206) 684-7623
684-Road@seattle.gov

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The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) is on a mission to deliver a transportation system that provides safe and affordable access to places and opportunities for everyone as we work to achieve our vision of Seattle as a thriving, equitable community powered by dependable transportation.