Aerial view of East Marginal Way, looking north, with the Port of Seattle and downtown Seattle visible in the background. Photo credit: SDOT. Summary:
- We are improving East Marginal Way with your Levy to Move Seattle dollars!
- The project is divided into three parts, and we are starting the process of hiring a contractor to construct the first part – the North Segment – which runs from S Spokane St to S Atlantic St.
- We plan to begin construction in 2023. When the North Segment is complete, you’ll see improved safety and travel efficiency along East Marginal Way, with separated space between bicyclists and trucks accessing the Port of Seattle.
- Read more about the project on our website.
- You can also sign up for email updates or subscribe to project text messages by texting ‘eastmarginal’ to 206-222-0105.
We’ve reached a final design for the north segment of the East Marginal Way Corridor Improvement Project. The project is now advertised for construction contractors to bid on! The community has long awaited this project and we share in the excitement of reaching this major milestone. We appreciate community members’ patience, support, and commitment as the design was developed and informed by public input.
The project will serve people biking, walking, rolling, and driving, and improve safety and mobility along this busy freight corridor. We’ll reconstruct pavement, rebuild and improve signals, build a protected bike lane, and more. Construction of the North Segment, which runs between S Spokane St and S Atlantic St, will begin in 2023.
We encourage you to visit the project website to learn more about key features, benefits, and phased construction plans. You can also learn more about the North Segment of the project.
When does the project break ground, and what can you expect during construction?
The North Segment project is scheduled to break ground in 2023.
After we hire a contractor, we’ll go through a materials procurement period to purchase items that can have a long lead time. This time frame is dependent on the supply chain, which has seen significant delays since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Once the contractor is on board and we have a better sense of how long materials procurement will take, we’ll set a construction start date and share more detailed information about what you can expect during construction.
Please be sure to sign up to receive email updates and subscribe to receive project text messages by texting ‘eastmarginal’ to 206-222-0105.
Construction will disrupt traffic along East Marginal Way S. We’ll maintain freight truck access to the Port of Seattle terminals along East Marginal Way S but anticipate detouring all non-Port of Seattle vehicle traffic in the North Segment project area. We will maintain a way for people biking and walking to use East Marginal Way S, but the route will shift to avoid active construction areas. We’ll have mitigation and detour plans in place to minimize the effects where possible.
Working together with our partners to secure project funding
Reaching final design and starting construction of the North Segment was made possible thanks to a coordinated effort by local, state, and federal funding partners. U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell and U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal were instrumental in advocating for the necessary funding for this significant safety and freight mobility improvement project.
Funding was also provided by the 9-year Levy to Move Seattle, approved by voters in 2015.
North Segment funding partners include:
- Freight Mobility Strategic Investment Board (FMSIB)
- Transportation Improvement Board (TIB)
- Port of Seattle
- Federal Highways Administration (FHWA), including funds via the Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC) and a federal RAISE funding grant
We continue to seek funding to construct the Central Segment and to advance the South Segment design. Potential opportunities include state funding for highways and for non-motorized facilities, FMSIB, and other local transportation sources.
Visit the project website for more information or send the project team an email at eastmarginal@seattle.gov.