Overlook Walk

Project Status

ABOUT THE PROJECT

Overlook Walk is now open to the public! 

Read the official opening announcement here.

The Overlook Walk will create an elevated public park and connection between the waterfront to Seattle's urban core. People can walk on the elevated pathway from Pike Place Market to the waterfront without ever crossing the new Alaskan Way. Overlook Walk will have expansive views of Elliott Bay, informal play areas, new public plazas and landscaping.

Overlook Walk is at the center of improvements from Pier 62 up to Pike Place Market and east along to Seattle's urban core, including Pike and Pine streets. Overlook Walk will also be integrated with Seattle Aquarium's proposed Ocean Pavilion expansion.

  • Public access to the waterfront with gradual slopes and a new elevator
  • An elevated panorama of Elliott Bay, the Olympics & Mount Rainier
  • Protected areas with food and beverage and seating
  • Slides and other play elements for families
  • Terraced landscaping with native plants

PARTNER PROJECTS

Many key partners are taking their own steps to reinvest in Seattle's waterfront, including projects with strong connections to the Overlook Walk. The Office of the Waterfront and Civic Projects works closely with these key partner projects, as well as coordinating with the various private development projects underway.

  • Pike Place Market's MarketFront: In 2017, Pike Place Market grew for the first time with the new “MarketFront”, a waterfront-facing westward expansion of the Market featuring more small businesses, farmers, senior housing, public art, and a new neighborhood center. MarketFront will link directly to the new Overlook Walk and the Aquarium's Ocean Pavilion to provide a critical new public connection to and from the waterfront, overcoming the city's steep topography and avoiding street crossings.
  • Seattle Aquarium's Ocean Pavilion: Seattle Aquarium envisions that Seattle will be reconnected to the ecosystem of the Pacific Ocean through its new Ocean Pavilion – an investment that will help connect downtown, Pike Place Market and the waterfront as a gathering place for all. This major new exhibit will be an extension of the existing Seattle Aquarium on Piers 59 and 60. It will provide several critical public features such as a new public elevator and a publicly-accessible rooftop park that will connect to the Overlook Walk. The Ocean Pavilion is a City owned asset, governed by the City’s Operating and Management Agreement (OMA) with the Seattle Aquarium Society (SEAS). As a funding partner with SEAS, the City has allocated $54 million in City funds to the project and has proposed amendments to the OMA to support SEAS’s pursuit of a bank loan to secure funding to keep construction of the Ocean Pavilion on schedule. 

RELATED DOCUMENTS

Project fact sheet

Video about the final design April 2021 [Youtube link]

Seattle Design Commission presentations