Northeast Seattle Neighborhood Greenways

Updated: July 8, 2024

What's Happening Now?

Project Update: New Safe Routes to School and Construction on the Pinehurst Neighborhood Greenway!

We have reached 100% Design on the north-south connection between Pinehurst and Olympic Hills which ends near Hazel Wolf K-8 School. We already constructed a crossing improvement at NE 117th St & Roosevelt Way NE and upgraded the signal at NE Northgate Way & 8th Ave NE. Construction of new speed humps, stop signs, pavement markings, and wayfinding signs is expected to begin as soon as Summer 2024.

Project Update: Olympic Hills Elementary School Extension & Olympic View Elementary Safe Route to School Updates

During our first-quarter assessment of the 2024 budget, it became evident that inflation is affecting our large-scale project budgets more than initially expected. In response, we are focusing funds to ensure we continue making our transportation system safer, more reliable, and better connected and meeting Levy to Move Seattle commitments. Therefore, we are pausing a handful of projects including the Olympic Hills Elementary School Neighborhood Greenway Extension on NE 135th St from 20th to 27th Ave NE. We are also pausing the Olympic View Elementary Safe Route to School. These projects will resume as budget or grant funding becomes available.

We will have a clearer funding picture in late November when the City Council finalizes the City’s budget and information on project status could be available as soon as the first quarter of 2025. Communication will continue through postcards and project websites.

In the meantime, we hope you have noticed the volume of projects launching and nearing completion this year. Stay up-to-date by reading our SDOT blog to learn more about bridges we are strengthening for earthquakes, our action plan to reduce serious and fatal crashes, and more.

NE Seattle Neighborhood Greenways Map

Map graphic of network of bicycle facilities in NE Seattle neighborhoods

Click here to download the map (pdf) of our growing NW Seattle Neighborhood Greenways network.

Projects Overview

Olympic Hills Elementary School Extension (NE 135th St, from 20th to 27th Avenues NE)

The Olympic Hills Neighborhood Greenway provides a safer, calmer route to the places people want to go in the neighborhood and connects to the growing network of neighborhood greenways, trails, and protected bike lanes in Seattle. This Neighborhood Greenway has been planned in coordination with the Safe Routes to School Program and will provide a safer, more comfortable route for people walking and biking to Olympic Hills Elementary School. The planned neighborhood greenway route also connects to the Cedar Park Neighborhood Greenway via NE 135th St.

Hazel Wolf K-8 Safe Routes to School and Pinehurst Neighborhood Greenway

The Pinehurst Neighborhood Greenway provides a safer, calmer route to the places people want to go in the neighborhood and connects to the growing network of neighborhood greenways, trails, and protected bike lanes in Seattle. This Neighborhood Greenway has been planned in coordination with the Safe Routes to School Program and will provide a safer, more comfortable route for people walking and biking to Hazel Wolf K-8 School.

This portion of the neighborhood greenway provides a north-south connection between Pinehurst and Olympic Hills and ends near Hazel Wolf K-8 School. We already constructed a crossing improvement at NE 117th St & Roosevelt Way NE and upgraded the signal at NE Northgate Way & 8th Ave NE. There is also a nearby project to enhance safety and mobility through the NE 117th St & Pinehurst Way NE intersection, which was originally identified by the community through the Your Voice, Your Choice program. The planned route also connects to the existing Neighborhood Greenways on NE 117th St and 25th Ave NE as well as bike lanes on Pinehurst Way NE.

Map graphic of network between NE 125th St and NE Northgate Way & 8th Ave NE and 25th Ave NE

Olympic View Elementary Safe Route to School and Maple Leaf Neighborhood Greenway

We have completed construction on the Maple Leaf Neighborhood Greenway Connection! We’ve installed the signalized crossing improvements at NE 103rd St & Roosevelt Way NE and pavement markings and signage along the Maple Leaf Connection.

We've completed the following street improvements as a part of the Maple Leaf Connection:

  • Speed humps and cushions to calm traffic
  • All-way stop signs with stop bars and crosswalks installed where NE 95th St and NE 96th St intersect 8th Ave NE
  • Stop signs with stop bars on side streets intersecting the neighborhood greenway
  • Tree trimming and sidewalk smoothing if needed
  • Wayfinding signs and markings

Locations included 1) 8th Ave NE from NE 83rd St to NE 103rd St, 2) NE 117th St from 15th Ave NE to 25th Ave NE, and 3) 25th Ave NE from N117th St to NE 125th St.

We also worked in partnership with Seattle Parks & Recreation to improve a pathway into Maple Leaf Reservoir Park to welcome bicyclists into the park and to follow a newly marked path with both green Neighborhood Greenway signs and new maple leaf wayfinding symbols and signs.

Photo collage showing new pavement welcome sign into park, maple leaf symbols in the park, and completed curb ramps and painted bulb at 15th Ave Ne & NE 82nd St

Left to Right: Improved pathway and new pavement welcome sign into park, maple leaf wayfinding symbols for bicycle riders traveling through the park, and completed curb ramps and painted bulb at 15th Ave Ne & NE 82nd St.

The Maple Leaf Neighborhood Greenway will connect people in Northgate and Maple Leaf between Link light rail, Maple Leaf Reservoir Park, Northgate Mall, and the Northgate Community Center and Public Library. The planned route also connects to the existing Neighborhood Greenways on NE 83rd St and NE 103rd St, and has been planned in coordination with the Safe Routes to School Program and in the future will also provide a safer, more comfortable route for people walking and biking to Olympic View Elementary School.

Map Graphic showing route for new Olympic View Elementary Safe Route to School and Maple Leaf Neighborhood Greenway

Other Nearby Projects

What's a Neighborhood Greenway?

Neighborhood greenways are safer, calmer residential streets for you, your family, and your neighbors. We make people walking and biking the priority. Neighborhood greenways can include:

  • Easier crossings of busy streets with crosswalks, flashing beacons, or traffic signals
  • Speed humps to calm traffic
  • 20 mph speed limit signs
  • Stop signs for side streets crossing the neighborhood greenway
  • Signs and pavement markings to help people find their way

Funding

These projects have been funded by the 9-year Levy to Move Seattle, approved by voters in 2015, and Safe Routes to School funding.

Background

The Northgate Neighborhood Greenway came from city planning efforts and community requests. The Bicycle Master Plan (BMP) calls for a network of neighborhood greenways in the Maple Leaf neighborhood that connect to schools and neighborhood destinations. With the opening of the Northgate Link light rail station, this neighborhood greenway was identified as a high priority for Northeast Seattle.

Starting in 2017, we worked with the Maple Leaf, Pinehurst, and Northgate communities to select a route for a neighborhood greenway that connects residents to local schools, parks, and businesses as well as the citywide transportation network.

Sound Transit's Northgate Link light rail station had recently opened and the projects would create safe and easy connections between the station and the surrounding neighborhoods for people of all ages and abilities.

During early outreach, hundreds of people gave feedback via an online survey, public events, and conversations with the project team. We heard requests for a neighborhood greenway with:

  • Connections to Maple Leaf Reservoir Park, Northgate Library and Community Center, nearby shopping, and the future Link light rail station
  • Improvements to help calm traffic
  • Safer crossings at busy intersections
  • Routes that avoid the steepest hills

The Northgate Neighborhood Greenway, along with the John Lewis Memorial Bridge and numerous improvements on streets serving the station, have brought greater safety and accessibility to the area.

Materials Library

If you need this information translated, please call (206) 445-4259.

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Transportation

Greg Spotts, Director
Address: 700 5th Ave, Suite 3800, Seattle, WA, 98104
Mailing Address: PO Box 34996, Seattle, WA, 98124-4996
Phone: (206) 684-7623
684-Road@seattle.gov

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The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) is on a mission to deliver a transportation system that provides safe and affordable access to places and opportunities for everyone as we work to achieve our vision of Seattle as a thriving, equitable community powered by dependable transportation.