Georgetown to South Park Connection
February 16, 2024
Creating a walking and biking connection between Georgetown and South Park
What’s happening now?
The Georgetown to South Park Safety Project design is final!
We will advertise the project to hire a construction contractor as soon as Spring 2024 and begin construction later this year.
There are no new changes to the design since the update we shared in December 2023. We still plan to use paint and flex posts instead of a concrete curb at the southwest side of the 16th Ave S and E Marginal Way S intersection. This change is essential to moving forward with construction. Read more about this change in the Project Background section of this webpage.
Here's a summary of the changes we'll be making soon:
- New or repaved sidewalk on S Bailey St and 13th Ave S
- One-way protected bike lanes on both sides of 16th Ave S leading to the South Park Bridge
- Walking and biking path protected by trees or parking from 13th Ave S and S Bailey St to E Marginal Way S and 16th Ave S
- Walking and biking path protected by paint and posts on the north side of E Marginal Way S and through the dog park to be constructed soon at the “Flume” property
- Interim paint and post curb on the southwest side of the E Marginal Way S and 16th Ave S intersection
Please stay tuned for project updates in the coming months. To stay informed, sign up for our email list.
The Georgetown to South Park Safety Project is committed to building a path connecting the two neighborhoods and creating safety improvements for people walking, biking, and rolling. We appreciate the community’s continued support for this project.
The Georgetown Flume Off-Leash Dog Park will start construction this year!
We are partnering with Seattle Parks and Recreation to develop a new dog park and off-street walking and biking connection on the “Flume” property between the Aero Motel and Boeing Campus. This connection will provide an acre of green space including 80 new trees and is a critical piece of creating a safe and accessible connection between Georgetown and South Park. Learn more on the Georgetown Flume Off-Leash Area Development webpage. Once construction starts, you can find construction updates on this webpage.
Project Background
In 2021, our project was awarded a $1.5 million grant from the Federal Highway Administration for construction and reached the 100% design milestone in December as scheduled.
In 2022, we began the environmental review process. The trail passes through historic buildings in Georgetown and sites that may be culturally significant to indigenous peoples near the Duwamish Waterway. To study this, we hired an archaeologist consultant to develop a cultural resources survey which was reviewed and approved by the Washington State Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation. This process took longer than anticipated, delaying the project by 15 months.
We support and value the environmental review process that ensures we do not interfere with culturally and historically significant areas. the need to understand whether any indigenous or other historic sites exist where we’re going to be working.
In 2023, we began pre-construction activities, including permitting for a section of the project that crosses the complex intersection of 16th Ave S and E Marginal Way S. The design in this area requires further review and permitting to ensure the safety of all travelers in the area. It is not possible to complete this process on our project's original timeline. To help move the project forward, we are making interim changes to the design at this location with a paint and post treatment in the place of the proposed concrete curb. This will allow us to begin construction in 2024. We are continuing to work with our partnering agencies on the review and permitting process and once approved, we will install the concrete curb per our original design.
We appreciate the community support for this project and apologize for construction delays. The delays are the result of rigorous required environmental and safety review.
The project crosses the complex intersection of 16th Ave S and E Marginal Way S. The design in this area requires further review and permitting to ensure the safety of all travelers in the area. It is not possible to complete this process on our project's original timeline.
To help move the project forward, we are making interim changes to the design at this location. Instead of a concrete curb on the southwest side of 16th Ave S and E Marginal Way S, the curb will be painted and installed with flex posts. The interim change will still include the new pedestrian walk signals proposed in our original design. When the review and permitting process for this area is complete, we will install the concrete curb from our original design.
Construction is expected to begin in 2024.
Project area
The walking/biking connection between South Park and Georgetown will be on 16th Ave S (just north of the South Park Bridge), E Marginal Way, and Ellis Ave S/S Albro Pl/13th Ave S. The route will connect through the "Flume property" between the Aero Motel and Boeing campus which we're developing in partnership with Seattle Parks and Recreation to create a dog park and walking/biking path. See the Georgetown Flume Off-Leash Area Development webpage for more info.
Project Schedule
Background
We heard the need for better connections between Georgetown and South Park throughout the 2017 Georgetown Mobility Study outreach as well as through community advocacy (check out this video developed by community members). This connection is also identified as important within our Pedestrian Master Plan, Bike Master Plan, Freight Master Plan, Transit Master Plan, and Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Analysis.
In summer 2019, we collaborated with Duwamish Valley Safe Streets to spread the word about the project and collect input from neighbors on which route we should take to early design. Approximately 400 people participated in sharing feedback and 6 community groups wrote formal letters of support. Based on the input from the survey and community groups, our design team is moving forward with developing design on the following route (see map):
- Georgetown Connection: A walking/biking path on Ellis Ave S, S Albro Pl, and 13th Ave S
- E Marginal Way S Connection: A walking/biking path on the north side of E Marginal Way S
- South Park Connection: One-way protected bike lanes on both sides of 16th Ave S leading to the South Park Bridge
See full outreach summary and results map for more details.
Community Outreach
| Date | Description |
|---|---|
| 2017 | Georgetown Mobility Study (Open house, survey, community meetings, Advisory Committee) |
| July 2018 | Community workshop |
| May 30, 2019 | Table with info at Mayor Community Discussion in South Park |
| June 7, 2019 | Table with info and surveys at Concord Elementary Carnival |
| June 11, 2019 | Discussion and surveys at South Park Neighborhood Association meeting |
| June 12, 2019 | Table with info and surveys at Seattle City Light Street Vacation Meeting - Georgetown |
| June 17, 2019 | Discussion and surveys at Georgetown Community Council meeting |
| June 20, 2019 | Table with info and surveys at Home Zones BBQ in South Park |
| July 9, 2019 | Discussion and surveys at Georgetown Merchants Association meeting |
| July 21, 2019 | Table with info and surveys at Duwamish Valley Partnership Open House |
| July 27, 2019 | Georgetown to South Park Connection celebration - 11 AM-2 PM at the South Park Plaza |
| April 15, 2021 | Presentation to Seattle Design Commission (30% design) |
| June 2, 2021 | Presentation to Seattle Bicycle Advisory Board |
| August 19, 2021 | Presentation to Seattle Design Commission (60% design) |
| Ongoing | Email updates (see email archive ) |
Funding
In 2018, Seattle City Council approved $600,000 in the City budget for the outreach, planning, and early design of this project. in 2020, Seattle City Council approved $5.2 million for final design and construction. The project also received $1.5 million from the Federal Highway Administration in 2021 for construction.
Materials
- 100% design plan set (February 2024)
- Fact Sheet (September 2023)
- Email archive
- Link to Seattle Design Commission presentations and meeting minutes
- Georgetown to South Park Conceptual Analysis Report - final (August 2019)
- Survey results map (September 2019)
- Planning phase - outreach summary (October 2019)
- Community preferred route map (September 2019)
- Georgetown to South Park Connection Celebration Event Poster
- Online Survey in English and Spanish (closed on July 31, 2019)
- Fact Sheet - English (June 2019)
- Fact Sheet - Spanish
- Fact Sheet - Vietnamese
- Fact Sheet - Khmer
- Written Route Survey - English (June 2019)
- Written Route Survey - Spanish
- Written Route Survey - Vietnamese
- Written Route Survey - Khmer
- Display Board with Route Options (June 2019)
- Georgetown to South Park Conceptual Analysis Report - draft (April 2019)
- Georgetown Mobility Study (2017)
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