about the project

UPDATE: 100 block of Pike is almost complete, and cherry trees are coming in the fall.
In the fall, when the weather is milder and wetter, 8 cherry trees will be planted on the block. Construction is now wrapping up on the block and we have already installed the 8 tree pits as planned. Currently the new tree pits are filled with asphalt, as the planting window has passed for the spring - we don’t plant trees during the drier summer months to avoid unnecessary stress on the trees. Instead, we will install the new trees this fall to provide them with the best chance to succeed.

In addition to planting the new trees in the fall, we plan to install a memorial plaque nearby highlighting the cultural significance of cherry trees. We will also be installing temporary planter boxes (in the empty tree pits), benches, and tactile wayfinding pavers in the coming weeks.

Pike Pine Streetscape and Bicycle Improvements (a part of the Downtown Seattle Association’s Pike Pine Renaissance program) will provide a vibrant pedestrian experience on Pike and Pine streets between Capitol Hill and the Pike Place Market, with connections to the new waterfront. The City of Seattle’s Office of the Waterfront and Civic Projects is designing this project in coordination with the Downtown Seattle Association (DSA) and the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) to improve east-west connections between the waterfront and surrounding neighborhoods. 

The future Pike and Pine streets will be safe and comfortable for all users, with more visible crosswalks, wider sidewalks, more greenery, protected bike lanes and more seating and street activity. Pike and Pine will also have a more consistent character and identity from end to end.

We will make Pike and Pine Streets one-way streets from First Avenue to Bellevue Avenue, with Pike Street being one-way eastbound and Pine Street being one-way west bound. By switching to one-way streets east of 8^th Avenue the project can provide much more room for pedestrians and bikes, and a safe and more pleasant experience for all users.

Specifically, the project will add and shift existing protected bike lanes to create a bike lane couplet on Pike and Pine Streets between Second and Melrose Avenues, with the east-bound bike lane traveling along the north side of Pike Street and the west-bound bike lane traveling along the south side of Pine Street. Bike lanes will be separated from traffic by a planted buffer or curbed island.

We recommend you take a look at the renderings in the slider above for more detailed information about the 300 block of Pine and the Pike and Pine street bridges. 

Art

Artists Derek Bruno and Gage Hamilton, working as a team, were selected as team artists for the Pike Pine Streetscape and Bicycle Improvements. In collaboration with the project team, they have developed a concept that will unify Pike and Pine streets, creating a legible path from Capitol Hill through the downtown retail core to Pike Place Market, a gateway to the waterfront. The artists will work to create a unifying identity for these streets and sited artwork through activate key locations along the route.