The Seattle Waterfront Program is a series of nine capital projects designed to revitalize Seattle’s downtown waterfront. The project spans from Pioneer Square to Belltown, enhancing public spaces and improving connectivity along Elliott Bay following the removal of the Alaskan Way Viaduct. The initiative, supported by community input and engagement, is part of a broader effort to create a "waterfront for all," balancing urban development with natural beauty. The Program will add over 15 acres of landscaped green space along the downtown waterfront and represents the largest public investment in Seattle since the 1962 Worlds Fair that brought the Space Needle to the city’s skyline.
The program’s key projects include:
Alaskan Way and Elliott Way
Alaskan Way is being rebuilt into a multi-modal corridor that caters to vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians. Elliott Way, which opened in 2023, created a new connection between the waterfront and Belltown and includes two vehicle lanes in each direction, sidewalks and protected bike lanes. Known together as the Main Corridor, both projects will create connections to surrounding parks, businesses and neighborhoods, encouraging economic activity and improved accessibility throughout Seattle’s waterfront. Additionally, over 500 new street trees and green stormwater infrastructure will be incorporated to enhance sustainability.
Marion Street Pedestrian Bridge
The Marion Street Pedestrian Bridge is a connection serving thousands of ferry passengers traveling to and from Seattle’s primary ferry terminal, Colman Dock. Completed in 2023, the bridge was widened to accommodate the large volume of commuters and modernized with ramp and elevator options to improve accessibility. The new bridge and the adjacent Alaskan Way roadway provide connection to over 10 million annual users.
Waterfront Park
The Waterfront Park project, also known as Pier 58, creates a new pier structure within Elliot Bay that will feature public event space, a new aquatic-themed play structure, landscaping and water features. The design includes a promenade with family-friendly amenities, such as play areas, seating and shaded areas.
Union Street Pedestrian Bridge
The new Union Street Pedestrian Bridge was completed in 2022. The new structure includes the installation of a new elevator and staircase, integration of a public art fern structure and offers an improved direct connection from downtown to the central Waterfront area.
Pike-Pine Renaissance
Stretching nearly one mile from Pike Place Market — one of Seattle’s most popular tourist destinations with more than 10 million annual visitors — to the densely populated residential district of Capitol Hill, the Pike-Pine project features widened sidewalks, improved lighting, enhanced crosswalks, additional seating areas and heavy landscaping.
Overlook Walk
The Overlook Walk is a new elevated public park that connects Seattle’s waterfront to its urban core, allowing pedestrians to walk from Pike Place Market to the waterfront without crossing Alaskan Way. It features expansive views of Elliott Bay, Mount Rainier and the Olympic Mountains, along with informal play areas, public plazas and terraced landscaping. This new structure connects and integrates into the Seattle Aquarium’s new Ocean Pavilion facility. Overlook Walk was opened to the public in October 2024.
Pioneer Square
The Pioneer Square neighborhood street improvements include reconstruction of several blocks of streets and sidewalks and the addition of landscaping, decorative bollards and brick pavers. Similar to the Pike-Pine improvements, the goal of this project is to build a connection to the Waterfront by extending the aesthetic and landscaping features into this surrounding historic neighborhood.
Bell Street Park Extension
The Bell Street Park Extension expands the existing park corridor, adding more landscaping, lighting and open spaces into the Belltown neighborhood adjacent to the Pike Place Market area.
Promenade Restroom
The Promenade Restroom will provide a new public restroom space adjacent to the new centrally-located Waterfront Park (Pier 58). The new restroom is designed with six private all-gender stalls and is being integrated into the architectural and landscaping themes of the Elliott Way Promenade.
The waterfront transformation reflects years of planning, environmental review and community input. Over 10,000 Seattle residents have contributed to shaping the vision for Waterfront Seattle, which is set to create 20 acres of public space.
Managing a Successful Delivery
HNTB has been a key partner with the City’s Office of the Waterfront and Civic Projects. HNTB and its joint venture partner Jacobs formed the Waterfront Partners JV to provide comprehensive construction management services, including the pre-construction setup of information systems, contract administration of the nine individual construction contracts, field engineering and inspection, project documentation and contract close-out.
HNTB's involvement and partnership with the City builds on the success of prior work on the Alaskan Way/SR 99 Viaduct Replacement Program, a precursor that allowed the Seattle Waterfront Program to proceed.
Location: Seattle, WA
Client: City of Seattle, Office of the Waterfront and Civic Projects
Services: Construction Management
