Center City Major Projects

Seattle is growing and its SDOT's responsibility to build a transportation system that keeps us moving, fosters retail and protects the environment. We must respond to residents, commuters, shoppers, service providers and visitors, and we must provide for transit, freight, bikes, pedestrians and cars.

Continue reading to learn more about transportation projects underway in the Center City and take a moment to look at the construction schedule.

Center City Access Strategy
This action strategy identifies solutions to improve access and mobility for the 10 downtown neighborhoods. Over 20 projects are underway or have been completed. Click here to learn more.


Bridging the Gap
Thanks to the voter approved transportation funding package, SDOT is catching up on maintenance backlog. Several Center City streets are scheduled for repaving over the next five years. Click here to find out more.



Alaskan Way Viaduct and Seawall Replacement Program

The City of Seattle is committed to replacing the ailing Alaskan Way Viaduct and Seawall. Recently plans were released to move forward with safety and mobility improvements on the north and south ends of the SR99 corridor.

As the project team determines the final design for our central waterfront, the City and region are considering things from a broader perspective and redefining capacity. Already we are improving transportation to decrease wheels on the street:

• New streetcar
• More bus service with TransitNow and Bridging the Gap funding packages
• Link Light Rail
• Carpools
• Bikes and walking

We are rethinking:

• Interface between Interstate and city streets
• Current traffic flow
• Parking management
• Signals and signs

Our success will be measured by the following four objectives:

• Maintain vitality and livability of the Center City
• Maintain access to businesses
• Keep people, goods and services moving, and
• Reduce emissions
  

For more information, visit the project's web site or the Seattle Channel.

Should the Viaduct be forced to close prior to construction, SDOT and WSDOT have developed the Emergency Traffic Management and Closure Plan. The plan was recently revised and includes procedures to handle short- and long-term closures.

Keeping our industrial centers thriving during construction is important. Click here to review the results of a business survey conducted in Ballard and Duwamish neighborhoods.


King Street Station Restoration
On March 5, 2008, Mayor Greg Nickels marked the start of a new era for King Street Station with the City of Seattle’s purchase of the landmark building from the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Railway Company. Under city ownership, King Street Station will undergo a $26.5 million renovation including completing seismic upgrades and replacing the roof.

Link Light Rail
Construction is nearly complete and testing is underway on a new light rail line. The line is opening in 2009 in two stages: the 13.9-mile segment from Westlake Station to Tukwila International Boulevard Station in summer 2009 and a 1.7-mile extension to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport by the end of that year. Sound Transit starts construction on the University Link this year.


Two-way Mercer Corridor
Two-way Mercer is a significant regional transportation improvement. By 2012, SDOT expects Mercer Street to accommodate two-way traffic from I-5 to Elliot Avenue West. Mercer Street is the major corridor linking I-5 to SR 99 (or Aurora Avenue) and the Seattle Center. This gateway carries 12 million visitors a year to the Seattle Center and supports the region’s growing biotech center in South Lake Union. Pending additional construction funding authorization from City Council, construction from I-5 to Dexter Avenue N is expected to start Summer 2009.


Seattle Streetcar Network
On December 8 City Council adopted a Resolution stating their support for developing a streetcar network and identifying the most promising routes for the City to pursue. Development of a streetcar network complements existing Metro bus and Sound Transit light rail service, providing more choices for moving around the city.


Spokane Street Viaduct Widening and New Fourth Avenue Off-Ramp
The S. Spokane Street Viaduct is a critical connection linking I-5 to the Port of Seattle terminal, businesses along the Duwamish River and West Seattle to I-5, I-90 and SR99. This project creates direct eastbound access to Fourth Avenue South allowing freight to avoid train tracks, and facilitates direct bus access to the E-3 Busway. If completed prior to Alaskan Way construction the project helps ease congestion by creating an alternate route from West Seattle to downtown.


SR 519 Phase II Surface Improvements
The City of Seattle, WSDOT, and  Port of Seattle reached an agreement on improving connections for ferry and freight traffic to the Port of Seattle terminals and the central waterfront area. SR519 separates car, freight, pedestrian and rail traffic to help improve traffic flow, pedestrian safety and reduce the risk of collisions. Construction is underway and being carefully coordinated with construction of SR99's south end.



SR520 Bridge Replacement and HOV Project
A one-and-a-half-mile long facility, the SR 520 Evergreen Point Bridge is vulnerable to windstorms and earthquakes and needs to be replaced.  The City of Seattle is working with our regional partners and the state to determine details such as: how to shrink the footprint and minimize impacts to our neighborhoods and determining the interchange location. Cost to replace the structure is estimated to range from $3.9 to $4.4 billion.

I-90 Two-way Transit Lanes and HOV Project
This project adds High Occupancy Vehicle lanes to the outer sections of I-90 between Seattle and Bellevue. It also constructs HOV on- and off-ramps on Mercer Island and improves HOV access at Bellevue Way.