Georgetown to South Park Safety Project

Last updated: October 24, 2025

Creating a walking and biking connection between Georgetown and South Park

What’s happening now?


Georgetown Off-Leash Dog Area Update
As early as Monday, October 27, we are starting construction on the Georgetown Off-Leash Dog Area! The project area is between the Aero Motel and Boeing Campus. The project will build a new off-leash dog park and off-street walking and biking connection to the recently built Georgetown to South Park trail. See the construction notice for more details.

When construction is complete, expected around summer 2026, the new park will provide an acre of green space, 80 new trees, and a safe and accessible connection for people walking and biking between Georgetown and South Park.

Who to contact
For questions about construction, please visit this webpage, subscribe for email updates, and connect with us via email at GTtoSP@seattle.gov or by voicemail at (206) 450-6594.

For questions about park design, please visit the Seattle Parks and Recreation webpage and connect with them by emailing David.Bader@seattle.gov or by calling (206) 684-7035.

What to expect during park construction
During construction, you can expect the following:

  • Typical work hours are from Monday to Friday, starting at 7:00 A.M. and finishing at 5:00 P.M.
  • The project area will be closed to the public during construction.
  • Please expect parking and access changes on S Myrtle St through construction as our crews use the street for access and equipment storage.
  • During excavation work, crews will water and cover work areas to mitigate dust.
  • Some of the work activities might be noisy. This includes using backup alarms for safety, heavy vehicles, and power tools.

Georgetown Off-Leash Dog Area project site and history
The project site contains contaminated soil due to industrial activities in early to mid-1900s. The project conducted environmental review in 20212023 to ensure we could safely remove this contaminated soil without harming people and the environment. The first month or more of construction will prioritize removing this contaminated soil and replacing it with clean material. 

Georgetown to South Park Trail update
Over the next few weeks, crews will be in the area finishing up work:

  • In mid-October, crews will install final signal improvements at the intersection of E Marginal Way S and 16th Ave S
  • Completing "punchlist" work project-wide
  • Traffic control will be in place as needed
  • The pedestrian and bike detours on E Marginal Way S will remain in place until the new connections are completed

The Georgetown to South Park multi-use trail is building:

  • New or repaved sidewalk on S Bailey St and 13th Ave S
  • One-way protected bike lanes on both sides of 16th Ave S leading to the South Park Bridge
  • Walking and biking path protected by trees or parking from 13th Ave S and S Bailey St to E Marginal Way S and 16th Ave S
  • Walking and biking path protected by paint and posts on the north side of E Marginal Way S and through the dog park to be constructed soon at the “Flume” property
  • Interim paint and post curb on the southwest side of the E Marginal Way S and 16th Ave S intersection

The Georgetown to South Park Safety Project is committed to building a path connecting the two neighborhoods and creating safety improvements for people walking, biking, and rolling. We appreciate the community’s continued support for this project. 

Thank you to our partners at Seattle Parks and Recreation and Seattle City Light, and community members who joined us in celebrating the groundbreaking of the Georgetown to South Park Connection Project! Read more about the community's celebration of this important milestone on our blog.

Photo of staff, partners, and community members celebrating project groundbreaking.

Project area

The walking/biking connection between South Park and Georgetown will be on 16th Ave S (just north of the South Park Bridge), E Marginal Way, and Ellis Ave S/S Albro Pl/13th Ave S. The route will connect through the "Flume property" between the Aero Motel and Boeing campus which we're developing in partnership with Seattle Parks and Recreation to create a dog park and walking/biking path. See the Georgetown Flume Off-Leash Area Development webpage for more info.

Map showing route from 13th Ave S, Ellis Ave S, and East Marginal Way s, and 16th Ave S

The Georgetown Flume Off-Leash Dog Park will start construction this year!  
We are partnering with Seattle Parks and Recreation to develop a new dog park and off-street walking and biking connection on the “Flume” property between the Aero Motel and Boeing Campus. This connection will provide an acre of green space including 80 new trees and is a critical piece of creating a safe and accessible connection between Georgetown and South Park. Learn more on the Georgetown Flume Off-Leash Area Development webpage. Once construction starts, you can find construction updates on this webpage. 

Project Background

We heard the need for better connections between Georgetown and South Park throughout the 2017 Georgetown Mobility Study outreach as well as through community advocacy (check out this video developed by community members). This connection is also identified as important within our Pedestrian Master Plan, Bike Master Plan, Freight Master Plan, Transit Master Plan, and Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Analysis.

In summer 2019, we collaborated with Duwamish Valley Safe Streets to spread the word about the project and collect input from neighbors on which route we should take to early design. Approximately 400 people participated in sharing feedback and 6 community groups wrote formal letters of support. Based on the input from the survey and community groups, our design team is moving forward with developing design on the following route (see map):

  • Georgetown Connection: A walking/biking path on Ellis Ave S, S Albro Pl, and 13th Ave S
  • E Marginal Way S Connection: A walking/biking path on the north side of E Marginal Way S
  • South Park Connection: One-way protected bike lanes on both sides of 16th Ave S leading to the South Park Bridge

See full outreach summary and results map for more details.

In 2021, our project was awarded a $1.5 million grant from the Federal Highway Administration for construction and reached the 100% design milestone in December as scheduled.

In 2022, we began the environmental review process. The trail passes through historic buildings in Georgetown and sites that may be culturally significant to indigenous peoples near the Duwamish Waterway. To study this, we hired an archaeologist consultant to develop a cultural resources survey which was reviewed and approved by the Washington State Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation. This process took longer than anticipated, delaying the project by 15 months.  

We support and value the environmental review process that ensures we do not interfere with culturally and historically significant areas. the need to understand whether any indigenous or other historic sites exist where we’re going to be working.

In 2023, we began pre-construction activities, including permitting for a section of the project that crosses the complex intersection of 16th Ave S and E Marginal Way S. The design in this area requires further review and permitting to ensure the safety of all travelers in the area. It is not possible to complete this process on our project's original timeline. To help move the project forward, we are making interim changes to the design at this location with a paint and post treatment in the place of the proposed concrete curb. This will allow us to begin construction in 2024. We are continuing to work with our partnering agencies on the review and permitting process and once approved, we will install the concrete curb per our original design.

We appreciate the community support for this project and apologize for construction delays. The delays are the result of rigorous required environmental and safety review.

The project crosses the complex intersection of 16th Ave S and E Marginal Way S. The design in this area requires further review and permitting to ensure the safety of all travelers in the area. It is not possible to complete this process on our project's original timeline.

To help move the project forward, we are making interim changes to the design at this location. Instead of a concrete curb on the southwest side of 16th Ave S and E Marginal Way S, the curb will be painted and installed with flex posts. The interim change will still include the new pedestrian walk signals proposed in our original design. When the review and permitting process for this area is complete, we will install the concrete curb from our original design.

Community Outreach

Date Description
2017 Georgetown Mobility Study (Open house, survey, community meetings, Advisory Committee)
July 2018 Community workshop
May 30, 2019 Table with info at Mayor Community Discussion in South Park
June 7, 2019 Table with info and surveys at Concord Elementary Carnival 
June 11, 2019 Discussion and surveys at South Park Neighborhood Association meeting 
June 12, 2019 Table with info and surveys at Seattle City Light Street Vacation Meeting - Georgetown
June 17, 2019 Discussion and surveys at Georgetown Community Council meeting
June 20, 2019 Table with info and surveys at Home Zones BBQ in South Park
July 9, 2019 Discussion and surveys at Georgetown Merchants Association meeting
July 21, 2019 Table with info and surveys at Duwamish Valley Partnership Open House
July 27, 2019 Georgetown to South Park Connection celebration - 11 AM-2 PM at the South Park Plaza
April 15, 2021 Presentation to Seattle Design Commission (30% design)
June 2, 2021 Presentation to Seattle Bicycle Advisory Board
August 19, 2021 Presentation to Seattle Design Commission (60% design)
Ongoing Email updates (see email archive )

Funding

In 2018, Seattle City Council approved $600,000 in the City budget for the outreach, planning, and early design of this project. in 2020, Seattle City Council approved $5.2 million for final design and construction. The project also received $1.5 million from the Federal Highway Administration in 2021 for construction. 

Materials

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Transportation

Adiam Emery, Interim 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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