Green Lake Keep Moving Street
Updated February 2, 2022
What's Happening Now?
W Green Lake Way N reopens to people driving today (September 24) with a new path for people walking and biking. Seattle Parks & Recreation will make all parking lots accessible by the end of next week.
Leveraging investments made through the Green Lake and Wallingford Paving & Multimodal Project, the street is now more accessible for people of all ages and abilities to more comfortably walk, roll, and bike. If you're driving, please be aware the speed limit is now 20 MPH to make it easier for people to walk between the two parks.
Building-off this project, we are looking into completing a walking and biking path around Green Lake Park. The project, Green Lake Outer Loop, would provide more travel options for people walking, running, biking, and create better connections to surrounding neighborhoods. We invite you to visit our project webpage to learn more about the project and stay engaged.
Project Design Details
Please see below for the overall project map, a cross section, and intersection focus areas.
This design is based on City standards and best practices for safety, as well as community feedback to reopen the street to people driving as soon as possible. The features include reducing the speed to 20MPH, a new tuff curb and flex posts to delineate a two-way path, adding new stop signs at N 63rd St and W Green Lake Way N, reconfigured transition for people coming or going to E Green Lake Way N, and improved markings at intersections and parking lot entrances.
Overview map
Street cross section diagram (looking north)
Intersection detail maps
Check out our FAQ.
Previous announcements: September 9; September 2, July 28
About This Project
The Green Lake Keep Moving Street is between two regional and beloved parks, Green Lake and Woodland. Its expanse of water and green space in the center of a dense urban neighborhood draws thousands of people daily from all over the region. The open space serves as a natural preserve for hundreds of species of trees and plants, as well as numerous birds and waterfowl. Both parks provide an ideal recreational spot for runners, bikers, skaters, walkers, boaters, and picnickers.
In May 2020, we opened a "Keep Moving Street" on W. Green Lake Drive N, between N 63rd St and E Green Lake Way N. A map of the Keep Moving Street is below.
About Keep Moving Streets
Keep Moving Streets were opened in coordination with the Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation as part of the City of Seattle's COVID-19 response. They are located adjacent to parks and popular outdoor destinations, like Green Lake and Woodland Park, and were part of the City of Seattle's response to support social distancing and safer ways for getting to popular destinations.
Keep Moving Streets are open for people walking, rolling, biking, and playing and closed to pass through traffic. The goal is to open up more space for people rather than cars as a way to provide more space for people to get outside adjacent to parks and to improve community and individual health.
- People driving who need to get to homes and destinations along Keep Moving Streets are still able to drive on these streets. Drivers should use extra caution and yield to people.
- People enjoying the street should be mindful of drivers trying to get to homes and destinations as well.
Community Outreach
Beyond returning vehicle traffic lanes to W Green Lake Way N, we'd like to explore creative solutions for making the street less of a divider between Woodland and Green Lake parks. We have a rare opportunity to build on the Keep Moving Street and reimagine how W Green Lake Way N can serve multiple functions.
We'll seek community input on how to improve connections between the parks by keeping speeds calm and including possible solutions like more crosswalks, additional walking improvements, decreasing the speed limit to 20 MPH, and temporary changes in street operations to encourage community use and celebrations.
Talk with neighbors about how we might expand a walking and biking path connecting around the lake, building off the recently completed Green Lake and Wallingford Multimodal Paving Project.
We've heard a lot from the community who are interested in creating a full outer loop for people to walk and bike around the lake, including repurposing the eastern-most lane of Aurora Ave N adjacent to the lake. We will be gathering feedback and sharing concepts with WSDOT (Washington State Department of Transportation), our partners in the corridor.
Schedule
May 2020: Green Lake Keep Moving Street installed
Summer 2020 through spring 2021: Observation and evaluation
July 2021: Announced we can re-open the road with 2-way walking and biking path and 2-way vehicle traffic at reduced speeds
Fall 2021: New walking and biking path and 2-way vehicle traffic; outreach and community engagement