People bike along the Alki Point Healthy Street during the recent Emerald City Bike Ride on May 5. Photo: SDOT Blog stats: 1,400 words | 7-minute read
Editor’s Note (May 31, 2024): We have updated this blog post to more clearly explain upcoming parking changes.
At-a-glance:
- We’re moving forward with Alki Point Healthy Street upgrades, based on robust community input over the past several years.
- We paused the installation briefly to meet with marine mammal and environmental stewardship stakeholders and listen to their concerns. Construction is now expected to begin as soon as June.
- This Healthy Street offers a unique space for community members to walk, bike, and roll while taking in views of Elliott Bay and West Seattle’s Alki Beach and marine reserve.
- Newest features in response to community feedback include:
- Welcome signs.
- We will explore adding loading or other special event zones large enough for school buses on Beach Dr SW near 63rd Ave SW.
- Inviting community artwork celebrating nature.
- Previously announced additions based on community requests:
- A 10-foot path along the beachfront separated from people driving.
- Three new ADA-accessible parking spaces.
- New signage and better organization of a public parking area near the Alki Point Lighthouse and parking spaces on Benton Pl SW to indicate its availability for visitors.
- Toward the end of the year, we’ll share an evaluation with vehicle speeds, foot traffic, and parking use, and include a user experience survey.
- For the latest details, please visit our website and sign up for email updates.
We’re moving forward to install the permanent features on Alki Point Healthy Street in West Seattle. More than two years of outreach and engagement have resulted in a final design that includes many elements requested by the community. These include a 10-foot-wide space for pedestrians and cyclists, 3 new ADA-accessible parking spaces, speed humps, clearer signage, and more.
Together, these new elements will help build a positive space where people can be active, connect with friends and neighbors, and enjoy Alki Point’s spectacular views. We’re excited to make these enhancements permanent so all people can enjoy this unique area for years to come.
Since 2020, we have been evaluating and updating Healthy Streets across the city based on community use and public feedback. Healthy Streets are a commitment in the Mayor’s Transportation & Climate Justice Executive Order, guiding our work to prioritize and expand actions that equitably reduce or eliminate greenhouse gas emissions within the transportation sector. These efforts also closely align with the recently adopted Seattle Transportation Plan, the City of Seattle’s 20-year vision for the future of transportation in Seattle, in particular around Livability and Streets for People elements.
Councilmember Rob Saka, who represents District 1 and West Seattle, has been engaged in bringing together all concerned stakeholders – hearing the many voices through meetings, emails, and phone calls.
“My office has been engaged in bringing together all concerned stakeholders – hearing the many voices through meetings, countless emails, and phone calls. After extensive communications with impacted communities and SDOT, we are in support of SDOT’s proposed changes to the Healthy Street to address the concerns. While compromises may not fully satisfy everyone, we look forward to continued community involvement in the evaluation report that will be published this fall as to how these changes are working. We believe that Alki Point is a most treasured area to be enjoyed by all.” – Seattle City Councilmember Rob Saka
Alki Point is a regional park and marine reserve habitat, as well as a destination for many popular outdoor activities like kayaking and paddle boarding, whale watching, exploring the low tides, and taking in views of sunsets and the mountains.
While people can still drive to destinations on the street – or park on the street to visit the beach – safety improvements like speed humps, improved signage, and striping and markings help discourage speeding so that the street stays calmer and safer for all travelers.
“Alki’s beachside vibe is one-of-a-kind in Seattle, and I’m proud of our work to make Alki Point Healthy Street upgrades a permanent feature that everyone can enjoy for years to come. I’ve heard first-hand from residents how important this space is for leisure, sightseeing, environmental education, and building social connections. Based on robust community input, our plans balance the needs of a variety of visitors and travelers.” – Greg Spotts, Director, Seattle Department of Transportation
Community engagement to date
After the Alki Point Keep Moving Street opened in May 2020, we heard from many community members that they wanted it to stay in some form to continue providing more space for people to walk, bike, roll, and play. Our observations and evaluation showed that the Alki Keep Moving Street had the highest usage among any Keep Moving Street or Stay Healthy Street in the city.
We conducted a variety of community meetings, briefings, and public surveys for people to learn more and share their thoughts and feedback on early design concepts. This includes a presentation to the West Seattle Transportation Coalition in October 2020 and again in October 2021. We also shared the results of our early planning survey in spring/summer 2022 (see part 1 and part 2). A full list of outreach summary documents and early design materials can be found on our website, including our Fall 2022 Early Design Outreach Summary and summary of outreach and engagement from 2020 through Fall 2022.
The Permanent Healthy Street was announced in Fall 2022 and early designs were shared with the public. We received community feedback that people disliked curb bulbs and traffic circles in this location, preferred a simplified design with continuous walking and rolling space, and had concerns about adequate ADA parking.
We took another look at one of the early design options that included a “neighborhood greenway + additional pedestrian space.” We also decided to designate ADA-accessible parking spaces near pedestrian curb ramps and entrances into the park and beach area.
In Fall 2023, after more than two years of outreach and engagement, we shared the updated, final designs for construction in 2024 that included many elements requested by the community.
These included:
- An additional 10-foot walking, rolling, and biking area along the beachfront that is separated from cars
- 3 new ADA parking spaces
- 3 new speed humps
- New signage and better organization of a public parking area near the Alki Point Lighthouse and parking spaces on Benton Pl SW
Since last fall, we have continued to receive community feedback about the proposed on-street parking removal where it is needed to allow for new walking/biking space. Some people believe that the design will improve their enjoyment of the space and create greater access for people of all ages and abilities. Others fear that it will be more difficult for long-time visitors to enjoy the views and the waterfront park.
We also heard people raise concerns about the impact to environmental programs in and around the park and marine reserve. Community members pointed out that vehicles on the street have resulted in pollution such as emissions and vehicle fluids that can cause harm to sea life and their habitat along the Alki Point Healthy Street and nearby beaches. The City has since added 15 stenciled reminders near storm drains emphasizing that water travels from the street directly into Puget Sound.
We continued holding community conversations and incorporated additional design refinements including:
- New signage to ensure people know that all are welcome
- Reviewing additional loading zone alternatives to better accommodate buses and special load zones for activities in the park and federally designated marine reserve
- Community-designed artwork and murals
The opportunity to include a mural in the new walking, rolling, and biking area will allow us to continue our partnership on the project with Duwamish Valley Youth Corps, inviting their participation in creating artwork that will highlight marine mammals that can be seen from the Healthy Street and the unique experience of visiting Alki Point. All paint will be approved for use close to environmentally critical areas in partnership with Seattle Public Utilities Stormwater Division.
Concept sketch of Constellation Park welcome signs to help create an inviting first impression for all park visitors.
Next steps
We will closely monitor the area after the project is complete and will publish an evaluation of the project that will include:
- Vehicle speed & volume counts (repeated from previous studies for comparison)
- Counts of people walking & biking (both automated and through site visits)
- Monitoring parking utilization monthly throughout the summer
- Stakeholder engagement and feedback
- A user experience survey at the end of the summer/early fall 2024
Thank you for your time, interest, and engagement on the Alki Point Healthy Street. For the latest details, please continue to visit our website or sign up for email updates.