2nd Ave S Extension and S Jackson St Bridge Planning Study
Updated: August 28, 2026
What's Happening Now?
The 2nd Ave Ext S & S Jackson St Bridge Planning Study has concluded.
Public engagement and technical coordination helped shape the study throughout its development. SDOT met with subject matter experts, community‑based organizations, and agency partners. We also attended South Downtown Hub workshops to share progress and hear from people who live and work in the Pioneer Square and Chinatown–International District neighborhoods. Community input about safety, comfort, and connectivity helped us understand how each option might affect people who live, work, and travel through this busy, multimodal corridor.
The bridge planning study explored different alternatives for rehabilitating or replacing the two structures at 2nd Avenue Ext S and S Jackson St. We identified the opportunities, challenges, and estimated costs of each option. While we have not selected a preferred alternative, bridge replacement is looking like it would be a better investment in the long-term. Any of the options will be expensive, require railroad coordination, take time to construct, and cause disruption to the surrounding neighborhoods. We will need to be creative and opportunistic in our approach to funding and delivering this project.
In the meantime, we will continue to monitor and maintain these critical bridges so they can support all the ways people use them to get where they need to go. The study findings will also help us coordinate with other transportation investments being considered in this area, including Sound Transit’s Ballard Link Extension. During future design phases, SDOT will conduct additional field studies, refine alternatives, and continue coordinating with key partners. We will share additional updates and engagement opportunities as SDOT advances this work and plans for next steps.
Study Overview
The 2nd Ave S Extension and S Jackson St Bridge Planning Study looked at options for repairing or replacing two aging bridges in the Jackson Hub area: Bridge 33W (S Jackson St between 4th Ave S and 5th Ave S) and Bridge 7 (2nd Ave S Ext between S Jackson St and 4th Ave S).
The study will help us plan for the long-term future of these two essential bridge structures and inform ongoing planning and design work resulting in potential future repair, retrofit, or replacement of these structures. In the coming years, the City will pursue funding and determine the best timing for these next steps.
Background
The Jackson Hub area is one of Seattle’s major multimodal transportation hubs—bringing together buses from King County Metro and private operators, light rail and passenger service from Sound Transit and Amtrak, the First Hill Streetcar, and BNSF freight trains—and a critical connection point between two of the City’s historic neighborhoods—Pioneer Square and Chinatown/International District. The area is also home to a complex and interconnected—though not always obvious—network of nine bridges.
As part of the Levy to Move Seattle, funds were allocated to study the future of two bridges in this area: Bridge 33 W (South Jackson St between 4th Ave and 5th Ave) and Bridge 7 (2nd Ave S Ext between S Jackson St and 4th Ave). This effort is part of SDOT’s Bridge Rehabilitation and Replacement Program to better understand the size of Seattle's maintenance backlog and better prepare us for future investments.
As the City shapes its future for the Jackson Hub area, we are considering replacement and/or rehabilitation options for the study structures that support that future vision. We are considering the various modes of traveling through the area, future environmental and transit goals, agency requirements, neighborhood impacts, and community feedback throughout the study process.
Technical Agency Committee
The Technical Agency Committee (TAC) consists of agency stakeholders assisting the project team throughout the study. The TAC includes subject matter experts from SDOT, Sound Transit, BNSF, King County Metro, WSDOT, Amtrak, Seattle Public Utilities, and Seattle City Light. In preparing the Level 1 Evaluation, the TAC met five times to refine the evaluation criteria and develop the concepts being studied. The TAC continued to meet through the Level 2 Evaluation and completion of our study.
South Downtown Hub Workshops
Our study considered other planned projects in the area and how community members envision traveling through and spending time here in the future. SDOT worked closely with its agency partners and attended the South Downtown Hub planning workshops. SDOT incorporated community feedback collected over three workshops and considered community perspectives in the development of the evaluation criteria and concept alternatives.
Nearby Projects and Partnerships We're Coordinating With
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