Tag Archives: streets

12th and Pike reopens as city wraps up main construction on longer than expected sewer overhaul

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The intersection when it was still fully under repair (Image: CHS)

Seattle Public Utilities has provided an update on the much longer and much more involved than planned construction project and street closures at 12th and Pike, telling CHS crews have completed the main construction phase of the major sewer repair project.

CHS reported last month on neighborhood business and community concerns around the long closure and the Seattle Department of Transportation’s handling of prolonged city street closures.

The project is also a symptom of how the city tends to some of its largest infrastructure needs, pushing back timelines due to budget and schedule considerations as significant problems from aging pipes only get worse. The summer construction timeline on the 12th and Pike project had to be doubled to six weeks of closures after excavation crews ran into unmapped wiring, old concrete, and tangled utility lines. Continue reading →

Amid ‘SDOT KILLS SMALL BUSINESS’ signs, city denies permit for advocate community group’s street party

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Pictures of the rogue signs that appeared earlier this month on E Pike were sent to CHS by an area business — “This has been a nightmare,” they said of the city’s sewer work at 12th and Pike

A new group planning a business-friendly street party to try to give the neighborhood a boost around a much longer than expected street and utilities project has had its event permit denied by the Seattle Department of Transportation.

“This permit application was not approved because there will still be active construction happening at this intersection on proposed event date,” a spokesperson tells CHS. “Seattle Public Utilities is replacing sewer infrastructure at 12th Ave and E Pike St. The intersection is closed for public safety.”

CHS shared this Capitol Hill Community Post inviting people to join the Thursday night event from the group Destination Pike, a new community group that says it spun off from Central Seattle Streets for All in partnership with the Capitol Hill Community Council.

The group said it was planning the popsicle party on Pike between 11th and 12th with music, tables and discounts for takeout at local restaurants. Continue reading →

What should Capitol Hill’s new ‘Low Pollution Neighborhood’ streets look like?

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Capitol Hill residents and business owners will have their first chance this month to shape the future of their streets and public spaces as Seattle kicks off community outreach for its $9.2 million Low-Pollution Neighborhoods pilot program.

The Seattle Department of Transportation will host an in-person public workshop on Sunday, September 27, from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM at the Cathy Hillenbrand Community Room, located above Capitol Hill Station on 10th Ave E. The event is free and open to all, featuring food, project information, and opportunities to talk directly with city planners.

The meeting comes after Capitol Hill was selected alongside Lake City and South Park/Georgetown for the citywide pilot. Backed by $8 million in local transportation levy funds alongside federal support, the initiative is aimed at cutting car exhaust, cooling heat-island concrete, and making crossing the street safer.

“Pedestrianization and these types of streets are an ingredient to making a whole neighborhood that encourages use of transit, walking, cycling, and other modes,” SDOT climate officer Radcliffe Dacanay told CHS earlier this year. “It isn’t that a pedestrianized street reduces all emissions all at once. It’s part of a broader collective of efforts that are combined to make that impact on reduction.”

Continue reading →

Proposal would include Pike Place Market transportation oversight in Vision Zero overhaul of Seattle traffic laws

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(Image: City of Seattle)

A package of legislation hoped to overhaul Seattle traffic safety will be up for committee debate Thursday at the Seattle City Council including a key proposed amendment that would strengthen the City Traffic Engineer’s jurisdiction while refining roadway oversight in the city.

Sponsored by Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck, a key amendment would strengthen the City Traffic Engineer’s authority across all city rights-of-way, explicitly including designated historic, landmark, and special review districts including Pike Place Market.

Changes in these areas currently face review by volunteer boards facilitated by the Department of Neighborhoods. Continue reading →

As micromobility rides and crashes soar, Seattle survey asks what’s working — and why nobody wears a helmet

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(Image: City of Seattle)

As it learns how to live and thrive with a continued surge in use — accompanied by surging injuries, infrastructure costs, and legal costs, Seattle is asking riders about its growing fleet of micromoblity options like scooters and e-bikes in a survey currently underway.

You can take the SDOT 2026 Bike & Scooter Share Survey through September 27th.

Rental bike and scooter usage in Seattle reached record levels, logging over 10.5 million trips in 2025, a 60% jump compared to the 6.3 million rides recorded in 2024, according to Seattle Department of Transportation program reporting. Fleet operations are overwhelmingly dominated by Lime, which captures more than 90% of the local market share, with trips primarily clustered in dense corridors such as Downtown, Belltown, the U District, and Capitol Hill. SDOT trip telemetry shows the service operates almost entirely as a short-hop, last-mile solution, averaging roughly 1.0 mile per ride, while standing and seated electric scooters have far outpaced standard pedal-assist e-bikes in popularity.

The survey gets into that with questions about the types of rides you choose — and why you choose them. Continue reading →

Slow down: Seattle announces four new speed camera locations for 2027

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Seattle is set to install 24/7 speed safety cameras across four high-risk corridors in 2027 as part of Mayor Katie Wilson’s renewed Vision Zero initiative to eliminate traffic fatalities

The city identified four one-mile stretches with persistent speeding and severe crash histories. Officials will narrow the selections down to specific block locations in the coming months:

  • Rainier Ave S: Northbound between S Holgate St and S Jackson St
  • Rainier Ave S: Between S Norfolk St and 51st Ave S
  • E Marginal Way S: Between S Fidalgo St and Diagonal Ave S
  • Sand Point Way NE: Between NE 74th St and Matthews Ave NE

City data shows that 15% of drivers on these corridors travel at least 10 mph over the posted speed limit. Continue reading →

On-time performance: Mayor K8tie Wilson and transit advocates race the 8 — but the numbers tell the real story for Denny Way changes

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When candidate Katie Wilson and a hundred transit advocates participated in the inaugural “Race The L8” event on July 10, 2025 — before the city installed a dedicated bus lane on Denny Way — the people on foot easily beat the bus.

Tuesday, Mayor Wilson and advocates took on the 8 for a rematch — and lost.

“Last summer, Seattleites raced the bus on foot and beat it,” the mayor said in her post marking the event. “This time around, with the lane up and running, it wasn’t even close.”

The race was fun but the real proof comes in the data. Continue reading →

Council effort to write Vision Zero into Seattle law taking shape with speed limits, trash truck side guards, and faster action on deadly crashes

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Efforts will move forward Tuesday afternoon at the city council under the Seattle SAFER Streets Act, a legislative package to update the city’s Municipal Code to adopt the Seattle Department of Transportation Vision Zero Action Plan as the city’s official guide, and require the “Safe System Approach” to guide arterial speed limits, infrastructure planning, and intersection reviews. Continue reading →

WSDOT open house: new Portage Bay bridge and faster Boyer hillside regrade

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the Boyer Hillside just north of the existing Portage Bay Bridge (Image: WSDOT(

Community members can get a firsthand look at progress on SR 520 construction — including what the state says is a revamped hillside grading plan that significantly cuts construction time and neighborhood disruption — during an open house Thursday night.

The Washington State Department of Transportation and contractor Skanska are hosting the event from 5:00 to 7:00 PM. at the Queen City Yacht Club on Boyer Ave E to share updates on the Portage Bay Bridge and Roanoke Lid Project.

Presentations will explain how crews are building the replacement Portage Bay bridge, preparations for the future Roanoke lid, upcoming SR 520 lane shifts, and plans for a temporary overpass near Roanoke Park. Continue reading →

RIP L8: City completes $4M project to unclog Route 8’s path to Capitol Hill

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(Image: Seattle Department of Transportation)

There is red paint in place to help speed up Route 8.

The final phase of the Denny Way Bus Reliability Project is now complete. Mayor Katie Wilson says the upgrades will create “irresistibly good bus service” on the route.

The second phase of transit improvements on Denny Way between 5th Ave and Stewart wrapped up over the weekend as crews installed red paint for the new eastbound Bus Only lane. Crews also installed a new westbound bus stop between Minor and Stewart and completed signal work to restrict the left turn from eastbound Denny Way onto Dexter Avenue N.

The work follows Seattle Department of Transportation changes around Denny Way earlier this month that redirected traffic with new markings and signs directing drivers headed to I-5 south from eastbound Denny to turn onto Boren instead of the previous route on Yale Ave. Continue reading →