Cal Anderson Park Sidewalk Repair Notice

November 13, 2023

Project Description

SDOT is planning to replace damaged sections of the sidewalk and improve the conditions for street trees on the east side of Cal Anderson Park.  This project will address the three blocks of sidewalk on the west side of 11th Ave between E Denny Way and E Pine St.

When this project is completed, we’ll have safer, smoother sidewalks for people walking and rolling, especially people with disabilities. At the same time, we’ll have more space for the street trees.

Techniques Being Used

SDOT will use innovative techniques to preserve trees in the east side of the park and improve the street environment, including: 

• Relocate the sidewalk further away from the trees. We’ve worked with the Seattle Parks Department to allow for SDOT to relocate key sections of sidewalk further away from the street trees.  The new sidewalk will be up to two feet west of the current sidewalk (further from the curb.) The sidewalk will end up zigging and zagging to give trees more room.  
• Install metal sidewalks. In some locations, like along the playfields near E Pine St, there isn’t space to move the sidewalk further away from the trees.  In such locations, SDOT will install metal plates instead of new concrete sidewalks.   On a sidewalk repair project on Aurora Ave N this year, SDOT installed metal plates to bridge over existing tree roots that were growing close to the height of the new sidewalk. These plates are less than 1 ½ inches thick, so they leave more space for the existing tree roots. This means we can reduce or avoid pruning the roots. Here’s a story on the Aurora Ave N sidewalk project.
• Plant three new street trees. Within six months of the project, SDOT Urban Forestry will plant a total of three new trees in the planting strip where there are currently empty spaces.  This will create a more consistent tree-lined edge on the east side of Cal Anderson.
• Move one of the empty tree pits. We will relocate an empty street tree pit several feet to a location that provides better growing conditions for one of the new trees.

Schedule and Scope

This project is tentatively planned to start on Monday, November 27.  The project is three blocks long.  To minimize disruption to the park and the neighborhood, we will carry out the work one block at a time, starting at the north end.  Each of the three blocks is expected to take about 1.5 weeks, and we hope to complete the work in 2023 if weather permits. 

Much of the sidewalk along the east edge of the park is damaged, but some sections are in good condition.  SDOT plans to replace a little over half of the length of the sidewalk on the west side of 11th Ave between E Denny Way and E Pine St.   We plan to replace almost all of the sidewalk between E Olive St and E Pine St.

How SDOT Strives to Preserve Street Trees

SDOT’s arborists on our Urban Forestry team collaborate with their colleagues in our Sidewalk Safety and Repair Program with the goal of preserving every tree adjacent to a project whenever possible.

Please note that you’ll soon see SDOT postings on the street trees on the east side of the park to inform the public that we will repair the sidewalk and we will strive to preserve the trees.  This is standard practice and provides transparency to the public.  An SDOT posting on a tree does not mean that the tree will be removed. Each tree will be evaluated to consider possible solutions to address sidewalk damage with minimal impact to the tree, and sidewalk construction is carried out in a way that does not pose any unnecessary risk to the trees.   

It’s not possible to know how healthy and viable a street tree is until we remove the sidewalk and examine the roots.  This allows arborists to evaluate the condition of the roots and how they are interacting with the sidewalk. We use established standards to determine if root pruning is necessary and how it can be done without harming the trees.  In rare cases, the necessary root pruning can cause the tree to be unstable and require it to be removed for public safety.

Trees are essential to our efforts to combat the impacts of climate change and to build healthy communities. Mayor Bruce Harrell issued an Executive Order in 2023 to protect Seattle’s tree canopy. SDOT believes that environmental health should be improved for future generations and our goal is to manage our streets and sidewalks in a way that enriches public life and improves community health. 

Example of heavily damaged sidewalk which needs to be replaced to increase safety and accessibility for all.

Two of the locations where SDOT will plant a total of three new trees to create a more consistent tree-lined edge of Cal Anderson Park.