Green Lake Keep Moving Street

Updated February 2, 2022

W Green Lake Way N reopened to people driving with a new path for people walking and biking.  

Leveraging investments made through the Green Lake and Wallingford Paving & Multimodal Project, the street is now more accessible for people of all ages and abilities to more comfortably walk, roll, and bike. The speed limit is now 20 MPH to make it easier for people to walk between the two parks. 

Related to this project is the Green Lake Outer Loop, which provides more travel options for people walking, running, biking, and create better connections to surrounding neighborhoods.

Project Design Details

This design was based on City standards and best practices for safety, as well as community feedback to reopen the street to people driving as soon as possible. 

Features include:

  • Reducing the speed to 20MPH
  • A new tuff curb and flex posts to delineate a two-way path
  • Adding new stop signs at N 63rd St and W Green Lake Way N
  • Reconfigured transition for people coming or going to E Green Lake Way N
  • Improved markings at intersections and parking lot entrances

Overview map

Street cross section diagram (looking north)

Green Lake KMS Cross Section

Intersection detail maps

Intersection maps

About This Project

The Green Lake Keep Moving Street is between two regional and beloved parks, Green Lake and Woodland. Its expanse of water and green space in the center of a dense urban neighborhood draws thousands of people daily from all over the region. The open space serves as a natural preserve for hundreds of species of trees and plants, as well as numerous birds and waterfowl. Both parks provide an ideal recreational spot for runners, bikers, skaters, walkers, boaters, and picnickers.

In May 2020, we opened a "Keep Moving Street" on W. Green Lake Drive N, between N 63rd St and E Green Lake Way N. A map of the Keep Moving Street is below.

A map showing the location of the Green Lake Keep Moving Street.

About Keep Moving Streets

Keep Moving Streets were opened in coordination with the Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation as part of the City of Seattle's COVID-19 response. They are located adjacent to parks and popular outdoor destinations, like Green Lake and Woodland Park, and were part of the City of Seattle's response to support social distancing and safer ways for getting to popular destinations.

Keep Moving Streets are open for people walking, rolling, biking, and playing and closed to pass through traffic. The goal is to open up more space for people rather than cars as a way to provide more space for people to get outside adjacent to parks and to improve community and individual health.

  • People driving who need to get to homes and destinations along Keep Moving Streets are still able to drive on these streets. Drivers should use extra caution and yield to people.
  • People enjoying the street should be mindful of drivers trying to get to homes and destinations as well.

Community Outreach

Beyond returning vehicle traffic lanes to W Green Lake Way N, we'd like to explore creative solutions for making the street less of a divider between Woodland and Green Lake parks. We have a rare opportunity to build on the Keep Moving Street and reimagine how W Green Lake Way N can serve multiple functions. 

We'll seek community input on how to improve connections between the parks by keeping speeds calm and including possible solutions like more crosswalks, additional walking improvements, decreasing the speed limit to 20 MPH, and temporary changes in street operations to encourage community use and celebrations.  

Talk with neighbors about how we might expand a walking and biking path connecting around the lake, building off the recently completed Green Lake and Wallingford Multimodal Paving Project.

We've heard a lot from the community who are interested in creating a full outer loop for people to walk and bike around the lake, including repurposing the eastern-most lane of Aurora Ave N adjacent to the lake. We will be gathering feedback and sharing concepts with WSDOT (Washington State Department of Transportation), our partners in the corridor. 

Families walking down one of the keep moving streets.

Schedule

May 2020: Green Lake Keep Moving Street installed

Summer 2020 through spring 2021: Observation and evaluation

July 2021: Announced we can re-open the road with 2-way walking and biking path and 2-way vehicle traffic at reduced speeds

Fall 2021: New walking and biking path and 2-way vehicle traffic; outreach and community engagement

Nearby Projects

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.