Lace up those walking shoes and bring your mittens — we’re piering at what’s going on at Seattle’s waterfront.
The $750 million+ redevelopment is one of the city’s biggest civic projects and promises to reshape downtown when fully complete. So we can’t help but be curious about the most recent progress.
Here’s what’s on the dock-et.
Walk this way 👟
On Friday, local officials cut the ribbon on the new Union Street Pedestrian Bridge connecting Western Avenue and Alaskan Way with a shiny new elevator, staircase, and elevated 95-ft-long walkway. It should now be a lot easier to get from Miner’s Landing to the blocks just south of Pike Place Market without having to play real-life Frogger.
The showstopper, though, is a 37-ft tall, fern-like sculpture from local artist Norie Sato, titled “Unfurling a Gesture (the Nature of Persistence).” It’s meant to highlight the area’s ecology and is accompanied by a screen that blends plant imagery with seagull wings. Public art is so fly, right?
‘Scape room 🌳
There’s more good news for walkers and bikers — construction is scheduled to start in early 2023 on the Pike Pine Streetscape that will stretch all the way to Capitol Hill.
In a big traffic shift, Pike and Pine Streets will both extend one-ways to Bellevue Avenue (eliminating the two-way traffic up the hill), allowing a little more elbow room for pedestrians. Expect more visible crosswalks, wider sidewalks, protected bike lanes, and lots of greenery to beautify the neighborhood.
Time for a drill 🚧
After we’ve all recovered from the holidays, there are a few more waterfront milestones to look forward to, including:
- Construction starting up on the east/west streets in Pioneer Square that’s intended to connect the neighborhood more seamlessly to the rest of downtown
- The Marion Street Bridge, expected to open in late 2023
- Continued work on the Pier 58 rebuild that includes a new playground
You can watch all the mesmerizing crane action via real-time cameras. Hi mom.
