SDOT’s SpokesSalmon Sal cuts the ribbon on a new lazy river ride connecting Downtown Seattle and the waterfront on April 1, 2026... wait a minute... Happy April Fool’s Day. This is just a joke! Photo: Tim Durkan, City of Seattle (Modified by SDOT) Editor’s note: We hope you enjoy this spoof article for April Fool’s Day! Please note – there is NOT a lazy river ride in Downtown Seattle, although that would be pretty cool. The new Yesler bike lane is very real though!
In yet another historic milestone for the City of Seattle, SDOT SpokesSalmon Sal cut the ribbon on a brand-new lazy river ride, making it easier than ever to swim between Downtown Seattle and the Seattle Waterfront.
She was joined by Mayor Katie Wilson, SDOT Acting Director Angela Brady, and SDOT staff at a celebratory event for the new water passage on Wednesday, April 1.
Wait a minute… checks notes.
April 1? As in, the first day of April?
April’s first day… April Fool’s Day?
Psych! 🙂
Happy April Fool’s Day, Seattle! The actual photo is below.
A lazy river might be nice for salmon, but swimming is not the most practical mode for humans. Sorry, Sal.
But who needs to swim when you have new bike lanes?
The actual photo above is from a site visit last week. On March 23, Mayor Wilson and acting Director Brady stopped by Yesler Way to tour the new protected bike lane from Occidental Ave S to the waterfront.
We’re happy to announce the project is complete and the new bike lane is open!
About Yesler Protected Bike Lane project
The Yesler Protected Bike Lane project fills a gap in Seattle’s City Center Bike Network and creates a much-anticipated, safer connection between Pioneer Square, downtown, and the waterfront.
Building this missing piece to the city’s bike network wasn’t simple. The historic nature of Pioneer Square and the age of the infrastructure made adding modern bike and signal improvements complicated, requiring careful design and coordination.
We worked closely with the Alliance for Pioneer Square to move this long-planned connection forward and include an all-walk for pedestrians.
Watch the video about this project below, and you can read more about it in our previous blog post.
Getting around Seattle
If you’re worried about Sal losing her lazy river ride, we have some good news for you.
Sal’s just fine without it. In fact, she wants you to know there are SO many ways to get around Seattle! You explore all your travel options on FlipYourTrip.org.
Still have questions? Email us at get.social@seattle.gov and we may turn your question into our next video or blog post.
Please stay tuned to our SDOT social media channels for additional updates and thank you for your interest.