Highland Park Way SW Connection Project

Updated May 10, 2024

Project Overview

The Highland Park Way SW Connection project is intended to provide an improved path for people to walk, roll, and bike between the Highland Park and Riverview neighborhoods and the Duwamish River Trail. This project was identified as a priority in the Seattle Transportation Plan and through conversations with community groups such as the Highland Park Action Coalition and West Seattle Bike Connections. 

If you prefer, you can also watch a presentation describing this project and the different options we’re considering.  

Project Goals

• Create a better option for people walking, rolling, biking, and taking transit in the area
• Calm traffic along Highland Park Way SW to help increase safety and prevent collisions
• Make a more comfortable connection to the Duwamish River Trail for people in Highland Park and nearby neighborhoods

Current Conditions

There is an existing path on the east side of Highland Park Way SW. It runs from SW Holden St to West Marginal Way SW with a section of grass serving as a landscape buffer between the path and the street. The path varies in width from 3.5 to 7 feet and the landscape buffer varies in width from 2.5 to 9.5 feet.  

The path needs repairs and is very close to the street in some places, making it less comfortable for people walking, rolling, and biking – particularly when people drive over the speed limit, which happens quite often in this area. Seattle Police collision reports and recent traffic data also indicate that people have driven off the street, crossed the centerline into oncoming traffic, sideswiped other vehicles, and even crashed into a person biking.

Highland Park community member walking on the existing path along Highland Park Way SW. This section of the path just north of SW Holden St, where the path is about 6 feet wide, and the landscape buffer is about 2.5 feet wide.  

Illustration and Map of Current Conditions 

Proposed Improvements

To provide a better connection for people who walk, roll, bike, and take the bus between Highland Park and the Duwamish River Trail, we are exploring the following three options. 

All options remove the right northbound (downhill) driving lane, which will create space for an improved path, while also calming traffic. Narrowing streets reduces overall speeds, and our traffic analysis shows that a single northbound driving lane is sufficient for the number of vehicles traveling in this area.  

Option 1: Downhill Protected Bike Lane

For Option 1, we propose replacing the right northbound driving lane on Highland Park Way SW with a downhill protected bike lane. The bike lane would run parallel to the existing path and include a concrete barrier to divide the bike lane from traffic. At the intersection of Highland Park Way SW and West Marginal Way SW, we would add a diagonal bike crossing to connect people to the Duwamish River Trail (see the map below). We would also add lighting and make some repairs to the existing path to improve accessibility for people walking and rolling. 

Illustration and Map of Option 1: Downhill Protected Bike Lane 

Key Points to Consider for Option 1 

• Costs the least amount of money.

• Takes the least amount of time to design and build.

• Does not include a two-way bike lane. People biking down the hill will use the protected bike lane. People biking up the hill will share the existing path with people who are walking and rolling. 

• Does not have concrete barriers for the sections of bike lane near bus stops. Buses will need to pull into the protected bike lane to pick up and drop off passengers. 

Option 2: Multi-use Path 

For Option 2, we propose replacing the existing path and the right northbound driving lane with a multi-use path. The multi-use path would include a wider landscape buffer and a wider path for people walking, rolling, and biking in both directions. This path will include bus stop landing pads in the landscape buffer, so people have a paved area to wait that is off the multi-use path. As in Option 1, we would add more lighting for people traveling along the path at night and add a diagonal bike crossing at the intersection of Highland Park Way SW and West Marginal Way SW to connect people to the Duwamish River Trail.  

Illustration and Map of Option 2: Multi-use Path  

Key Points to Consider for Option 2 

• Costs more money than Option 1.

• Will take longer than Option 1 to design and build.

• Provides the most travel options for people (e.g., two-way bike path, wider path for people walking and rolling).  

• Provides a wider landscape buffer between driving lanes and people biking, walking, and rolling. 

• Provides bus stop landing pads so people can wait for the bus without standing on the multiuse path.   

Option 3: Combination of Options 1 and 2

Option 3 is a combination of Options 1 and 2. In this approach, we would build the protected bike lane first – as it takes less time and less money to build – and then develop the new multi-use path later when additional funding is available.

Key Points to Consider for Option 3 

• Costs the most money of the three options because of the phasing.  

• Provides additional travel options sooner by building the protected bike lane and repairing the existing path first, and then providing more travel options later when we build the multi-use path.  

Other Options We Considered

Options 1 – 3 were informed by what we know about the area and by conversations with local community groups. We also considered a path on the west side of Highland Park Way SW, but opted for the east side since there is already an existing path. Plus, the west side of the street is more prone to landslides, and because the hill is quite steep, we predict a one-way uphill bike lane would get much less use. We believe concentrating our efforts on the east side will benefit the most people.  

Some people have asked why we did not consider widening the path into the green space instead of removing a driving lane. The answer is two-fold: 

1. As mentioned above, our goals for this project are to improve safety and reduce vehicle speeds and collisions. Narrowing the street, calming traffic along Highland Park Way SW, and providing an improved dedicated space for people to bike, walk, and roll will help to achieve these goals.
2. The green space to the east of the path is sloped and prone to landslides. This would mean we would need to build retaining walls and other stabilizing structures, which would increase the cost of the project significantly.  

All that said, we are still early in the design process, and we are open to exploring different options that are feasible and aligned with our goals

Community Engagement

In 2023, we met with community groups in the area, including the Highland Park Action Coalition and West Seattle Bike Connections. We also received input through the Seattle Transportation Plan, which identified this project as a priority. This spring, we are reaching out to community members and gathering additional input on the proposed options mentioned above through the following outreach activities:

• Interviews with key community members
• Mailer to community members near the project area
• Door-to-door outreach to nearby businesses
• Tabling and drop-in sessions at community events
• Online and paper surveys 

Please share your thoughts in any of the following ways...

• Fill out our survey by June 15
• Email us: HighlandHoldenSeattle.gov
• Call us: (206) 900-8741
• Join us at one of the events listest at the top of this webpage!

And don't forget to sign up for our email updates to stay informed!

Timeline

We are in the early stages of design and gathering community input on our initial concepts. This summer we will take what we’ve heard and develop our 30% designs. We will continue to engage community members throughout design and expect to build the project when funding for construction is available. 

Nearby Projects 

This project is adjacent to the Highland Parkway SW and SW Holden St Safety Improvements Project, where we have built new sidewalks, curb bulbs, and ADA accessible ramps, making this intersection safer and more accessible for people living, working, and traveling through the area.

Document Library

Project Fact Sheet (May 2024)