Waterfront Seattle

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

Rendering of the proposed improvements to Washington Street between First Avenue and Alaskan Way. There are no curbs and there are more planters and greenery lining the area. There are people walking, driving, talking, and biking along the street.

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 restored Washington Street Boat Landing Pergola was returned to its original splendor, featuring new lighting and restored ornamentation, and a space for a small food concessions on the Park Promenade

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

The Pioneer Square 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 have designed and will 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. This project aims to improve accessibility for people of all ages and abilities and provide safe, convenient and graceful pedestrian connections. We anticipate that construction of this project will begin in early 2024 and continue for approximately a year. Construction will begin on S Washington Street and S Main Street, between 1st Ave S and Alaskan Way S.

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).

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!

Pioneer Square 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 restore the function of a natural shoreline and improve ecosystem productivity. Check out this coloring page that explains the different layers that make up the beach.

The Pioneer Square Habitat Beach opened to the public on July 1, 2023. The beach is open every day from 7AM to 10 PM. Because the beach is a key component to Seattle’s nearshore marine habitat, some rules to keep in mind before heading down include no swimming or entering and exiting the water by personal watercraft, and packing out what you pack in. Additional rules and regulations can be found on the Friends of Waterfront Seattle website and are posted on-site.

The beach will need to be temporarily closed in fall 2023 to accommodate installation of indigenous artwork as part of honoring nearby Ballast Island. The artwork and historical information will be installed by the Washington State Department of Transportation as part of their coordination with local tribes.

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

ABOUT THE PROJECT

Pioneer Square East West Pedestrian Improvements

Washington Street Boat Landing Pergola

Pioneer Square Habitat Beach

How we've built it

Related documents

Pioneer Square East West Pedestrian Improvements materials

Pioneer Square Habitat Beach materials

Washington Street Boat Landing materials

Washington Landings materials