Livability

Making a livable, walkable South Lake Union

The Mercer Corridor project provides transportation infrastructure necessary to make South Lake Union (SLU) a healthy and desirable place to live, work, shop, and play, including:

• One mile of new bike lanes
• Six blocks of multi-use trail
• 21 curb bulbs
• 32 block faces of improved and widened sidewalks
• Improved pedestrian crossings at 12 intersections
• Medians and landscaping that contribute to a sense of place and enhance safety

Transit improvements

Pedestrian and bicycle improvements increase access to the streetcar and other transit service in SLU, which carries almost 12 million riders annually. Improvements to the intersection of Mercer Street and Fairview Avenue N at I-5 ramps will reduce delays and enhance reliability for buses connecting the neighborhood to downtown Seattle and the University of Washington. Finally, improvements to the corridor allow implementation of new transit service along Mercer connecting SLU to Capitol Hill and Uptown. Enhancements are consistent with Seattle’s Transit, Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plans.

Increasing accessibility

Non-motorized and transit improvements increase accessibility for those who are unable to, or choose not to drive. Two out of three census tracts that cover the project area have poverty levels higher than the citywide level. In one census tract within this urban center, 40 percent of the population is below the poverty level, compared to 12 percent citywide. Of the housing units open or under construction in South Lake Union in 2004, 30 percent are affordable or subsidized and 70 percent are market rate. Citywide, seven percent of housing units are affordable or subsidized and 93 percent are market rate.

Stakeholder buy-in

The Mercer Corridor project is the result of a coordinated planning process that incorporated involvement of a variety of community stakeholders. As a result of public and stakeholder comments, technical analysis and guidance from the Seattle City Council, the Two-Way Mercer Alternative was identified as the City’s preferred alternative. During the environmental process, which met both state and federal requirements, an independent Mercer Corridor Stakeholder Committee comprised of 42 individuals met 15 times and reached consensus on a package of recommendations for the Mercer Corridor.