Map of Waterfront Seattle improvements, which highlights the projects outlined on this page. The highlighted areas show that future improvements will take place on South King Street, South Main Street, South Washington, Street, and Yesler Way between Alaskan Way and Second Avenue South. Other improvements will also take place at the Washington Street Boat Landing Pergola, which is on the west side of Alaskan Way near the intersection with South Washington Street, and at the new habitat beach that juts out into the water near the boat landing.

Pioneer Square

Project status

Design rendering showing people in Occidental Park crossing Main Street at an intersection that is raised a few inches above the street to encourage cars to prioritize pedestrians, with trees and greenery around.

Tabled intersections at Occidental Park make crossings easier and more accessible for pedestrians

Design rendering looking east on South Washington Street towards the water and the Washington Street Boat Landing, showing a street with no curbs and new street trees. There is street parking and increased sidewalk space for pedestrians.

Curbless streets and new landscaping on Washington Street will create a new gateway from the waterfront into Pioneer Square

Photo of the reinstalled Washington Street Boat Landing Pergola, an outdoor structure consisting of columns that support a roofing grid of beams and rafters that is located by the water at the end of South Washington Street

The recently restored Pergola has been returned to its original splendor, featuring new lighting and restored ornamentation, and a space for a small food concessions on the future waterfront

Rendering of the habitat beach that has rocks, plants and trees, with a woman sitting with a notebook and birds resting on logs

The Washington Street habitat beach improves conditions for juvenile salmon while providing the public with an opportunity to access Elliott Bay

Photo of the habitat beach at Washington Street, with shows a rocky beach with rows of plants that are about ankle-high. Behind the beach, Colman Ferry Dock can be seen.

Plantings are growing at the habitat beach, which will be closed to the public to protect the nearshore vegetation until the future park promenade is complete

ABOUT THE PROJECT

Pioneer Square East West Pedestrian Improvements

Working with community partner Alliance for Pioneer Square, we will design and construct improvements on portions of King, Main and Washington Streets, Yesler Way and 2nd Avenue S to prioritize pedestrians, improve sidewalks and increase greenery. The project will also reduce the number of vehicle travel lanes and limit traffic flow directions on portions of these streets in order to move vehicles away from structurally vulnerable areaways and optimize traffic operations and circulation in the Pioneer Square area.

On September 17, 2020, we issued a Determination of Nonsignificance (DNS) for these improvements, supported by an Environmental Checklist, in accordance with the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA). The deadline for commenting on the DNS and Checklist is 5 PM on October 1, 2020. The deadline for appealing the DNS is 5 PM on October 8, 2020. Further details on submitting comments and filing appeals are contained in the DNS.

Washington Street Boat Landing Pergola

The Washington Street Boat Landing and Beach will restore access to the waterfront for Pioneer Square and the South Downtown community. The landmark pergola structure has been a piece of Seattle's waterfront since the early 20th century, and with its recent restoration, it once again serves as a symbolic gateway to the city from the Puget Sound. The pergola has been fully restored, but it will remain closed to the public until the park promenade has been constructed. 

Habitat Beach is a national winner of the American Public Works Association's 2020 Project of the Year Award!

Habitat Beach

Between Colman Dock and Pier 48, a new habitat beach supports the waterfront ecosystem, including enhancing the salmon corridor by adding rocks and nearshore vegetation. Improvements to the marine habitat began in October 2018 thanks to an agreement between Washington State Ferries and the City of Seattle to make these improvements on State-owned property. The plantings on the shoreline will restore the function of a natural shoreline and improve ecosystem productivity. Construction on the beach is complete. We will need to patiently wait for a few years for the plants to grow and habitat to adapt to the natural environment before Habitat Beach is open to the public. These improvements create an exciting destination and will help connect Pioneer Square and the South Downtown community back to the waterfront.

How we've built it

Photo of long yellow floats that mark the periphery of the marine habitat containment boom

Work on marine habitat at the intertidal area began in October 2018 with the arrival of a work barge and deployment of the containment boom.

Photo of a crane on a barge lowering a pile of rocks into the marine habitat zone

Barge mounted cranes installed the foundation of the marine habitat with rocks.

Photo of a yellow rock slinger sitting atop a rectangular float

A rock slinger was used to place various sizes of rocks.

Photo of an orange clamshell bucket releasing medium-sized rocks into the marine habitat zone

A clamshell bucket was used to place different sizes of rocks.

Photo of piles of various sands, soils and rocks used for the intertidal shoreline

Over 45,000 tons of material including; sand, gravel, soil, sand, shells, and rocks of varying sizes make up the intertidal shoreline.

Diagram showing the different layers created to mimic the Elliott Bay ecosystem, including rock, sand, gravel and planting soil.

The completed area will be made up of a variety of materials to mimic the existing ecosystem of Elliott Bay.

rendering of a habitat beach with rocks, sand, plants and trees, where a woman sits with a notebook and birds rest on logs.

These habitat marine enhancements will foster young growing nearshore vegetation, providing hiding places for fish and improving conditions for salmon, in order to preserve the waterfront ecosystem.

Explore Seattle’s New Waterfront