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December 30, 2024

Pioneer Square East-West Pedestrian Improvements

By JOURNAL STAFF

Photos courtesy of city of Seattle [enlarge]


This civic project has made it easier for people walking and rolling in the heart of Pioneer Square and has enhanced pedestrian connections between the neighborhood and the Seattle waterfront.

Improvements were made to portions of South King, South Main and South Washington streets, and to Yesler Way.

The work included nine new raised pedestrian crossings, four new blocks of curbless streets, and 13,400 square feet of new planted areas.

Storytelling elements encourage visitors to reflect on the city’s history, such as light and dark brick pavement markings that identify the original location of the historic Elliott Bay shoreline from the mid-to-late 19th century.

Eight new wood decks for people to gather, dozens of boulders, and more than 100 wood piers of salvaged red cedar were added to South Main and South Washington to mimic the historic waterfront that existed in the late 19th century. The wood decks would have been on top of the wood piers at the time. The piers have a distinctive Shou Sugi Ban style charring to represent the great Seattle Fire of 1889.

Illustrated interpretive panels that reflect and honor Indigenous histories and describe traditional Indigenous practices, and ground-level etchings depicting native plants and their usage, will be installed in 2025.

Owner: City of Seattle’s Office of the Waterfront and Civic Projects

Designer: MIG

General contractor: Gary Merlino Construction











Do you have photos of recent projects? Share them with DJC readers. Send high-resolution images and information to lisa.lannigan@djc.com.


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