New Sidewalks and Walkways Program
July 2026
We're building 350 blocks of new sidewalks and walkways by the end 2032 thanks to the Seattle Transportation Levy, with 250 blocks built by 2029.
We are in the early stages of planning new sidewalks and walkways in several neighborhoods based on community input. The projects that have moved into early design stage are shown on the map above.
Please select the tab above to get the latest update on what's happening in your neighborhood.
Pinehurst Walkway Projects
We are excited to share where we will be building new walkways in the Pinehurst neighborhood for people to roll, bike, and walk on. Thank you to everyone that provided us feedback. The above map shows locations of walkways that are planned to be constructed in the Pinehurst neighborhood as early as 2026. These are 28 blocks of new designated space for pedestrians! Please note that the location of the walkways might change depending on funding and utilities requirements.
These upgrades are part of SDOT’s New Sidewalks and Walkways program, funded by the voter-approved 2024 Seattle Transportation Levy, aiming to build 250 new blocks in four years and 350 by the end of the eight-year levy.
In January 2025, SDOT hosted a community walk in Pinehurst, gathering real-time feedback from residents on sidewalk plans and other improvements. This outreach, combined with criteria like proximity to transit and schools, safety, and equity, led to the conceptual design of 28 blocks of new walkways. Please reach out to us if you want to learn more about what we heard and how locations for the new walkways in Pinehurst were selected.
In most cases, walkways will be designed on one side of the street. Walkways may be constructed from a variety of materials including paint, asphalt, concrete, and barriers. Specific design treatments are decided based on factors including the space available on the street, drainage needs, existing infrastructure, impacts to parking, slopes, and estimated construction costs. Select streets will be in construction between 2026 and 2028. We will be working closely with adjacent property owners as design progresses.
What does this mean for me and my property?
Residents and property owners may experience noise, dust, and vibrations during the construction process, as well as potential disruptions to driveway access or parking. In some cases, driveways, landscaping, fences, or other features within the right -of-way may need to be adjusted or removed to accommodate the new infrastructure.
We will be reaching out to residents if they have an encroachment on the right of way that impacts the new walkway.
Where can I see where my property line ends and where the public right of way begins?
You can view your parcel boundary here King County Parcel Viewer.
How can I stay updated, ask questions to the project team including how much might this impact my property and street, and provide feedback?
Sign-up for our list-serv and share you feedback here.
Hillman City Walkway Projects
Overview
We are building new walkways throughout Hillman City to make it safer and easier for people to walk, bike, and roll! The map above shows preliminary locations of walkways and sidewalks planned for construction starting as early as summer 2026. Please note walkway locations might change depending on funding and design constraints.
How did we select walkway locations?
Thank you to everyone who provided feedback during the community “walkshop.” The feedback we received, combined with criteria like proximity to transit and schools, safety, and equity, helped to identify at least 17 blocks of new walkways to move forward into conceptual design. Please reach out to learn more about what we heard and how locations for the new walkways were selected.
What will the walkways look like?
In most cases, walkways will be built on one side of the street. Walkways may be constructed from a variety of materials including paint, asphalt, concrete, and barriers. Specific design treatments are based on factors including the space available on the street, drainage needs, existing infrastructure, impacts to parking, slopes, and estimated construction costs. Select streets will be in construction starting as early as 2026.
What does this mean for neighbors?
Neighbors may experience noise, dust, and vibrations during construction, as well as potential disruptions to driveway access or parking. In some cases, driveways, landscaping, fences, or other features within the right of way may need to be adjusted or removed to accommodate the new infrastructure.
We will reach out to residents if they have an encroachment on the right-of-way that impacts the new walkway.
You can view property boundaries here: King County Parcel Viewer.
How can I stay updated, ask questions to the project team, and provide feedback?
Sign up for our email list and share your feedback here.
2026 Spot Projects
While many of our projects are grouped together in neighborhoods based on our outreach “walkshops,” we also have other projects that are spread throughout the city.
Some of these locations were identified from other community outreach efforts like Safe Routes to School, Home Zones, Parks Planning, and Light Rail Expansion Planning. These projects will improve access to things like public schools, parks, light rail, and frequent transit.
Here are some of our upcoming spot projects:
- Trail connection between S Juneau St and Chief Sealth Trail
- 21st Ave S between S Bayview St and S Walker St
- 20th Pl S from S Jackson St to S Weller St
- Fremont Ave N between N 105th St and N 109th St
- NE Blakeley St between 25th Ave NE and 29th Ave NE
- Lake Washington Blvd between S Adams St and Lake Washington Blvd Trail
- 43rd Ave S between Lake Washington Blvd and S Genesee St
- S Orcas St between Beacon Ave S and 22nd Ave S / 22nd Ave S between S Orcas St and S Kenny St
- S Brandon St between 30th Ave S and 32nd Ave S
- 6th Ave S between Spokane St and S Hinds St
- S Fountain St from Beacon Ave S (Stairs)
- S Avon St between 56th Ave S and Beacon Ave S
- S Spokane St between Beacon Ave S and 24th Ave S
How do I learn more about a project in my neighborhood?
Since we are in the early planning stages for many of these projects, we do not have all the specific details about the work near your home just yet. We will contact nearby residents directly as soon as we know more. You can view our interactive map to see where we plan to build new sidewalks and walkways.
If you live on the block where a walkway or sidewalk is planned, look out for a mailer in your mailbox for more information and sign up for our list serv to receive email updates here.
What does this mean for you and your property?
Residents and property owners may experience noise, dust, and vibrations during the construction process, as well as potential disruptions to driveway access or parking. In some cases, driveways, landscaping, fences, or other features within the right -of-way way may need to be adjusted or removed to accommodate the new infrastructure.
We will reach out to residents if they have an encroachment on the right of way that impacts the new walkway and needs to be moved.
Where can I see where my property line ends and where the public right of way begins?
You can view your parcel boundary here King County Parcel Viewer.
How can I stay updated, ask questions to the project team, and provide feedback?
Sign-up for our list-serv and share you feedback here.
Public Engagement Process
In 2025, we held ten “walkshops” (community walks) with residents in the following neighborhoods: Pinehurst, Northgate, North Delridge, Highland Park, South Delridge, Hillman City, South Park, Little Brook, Cedar Park, and Arbor Heights. These events gave us a chance to meet with you in person, hear your thoughts, and identify the best locations for new sidewalks, walkways, and other potential safety improvements.
We’re also evaluating additional areas for sidewalk and walkway construction including the Mt. Baker Station Area, Graham Street Station Area, Rainier View, and North 130th Station Area. We heard community feedback from other programs who were already working with community in these neighborhoods, including Home Zones and Station Area Access teams.
The neighborhoods and areas selected for sidewalk and walkway improvements were chosen based on the need for better access to public schools, parks, light rail, and frequent transit.
Thank you to everyone who participated in the walkshops or provided input by phone, email, or survey. Community participation is a vital part of our process, and we value the feedback shared by residents.
Final Walkshop Community Reports were shared with community members who shared their contact information with us. If you did not attend a walkshop and would like to be added to the email list to receive updates, please email levysidewalks@seattle.gov and include the name of the neighborhood(s) you would like updates for.
Frequently Asked Questions
Unlike traditional sidewalks that are made of concrete and have standard curb, gutter, and planting strip, neighborhood walkways can be made of asphalt, paint, plastic flex posts, concrete barriers, or a mix of those to separate people walking from traffic. We install neighborhood walkways primarily on non-arterial (local streets with less traffic) streets, or less frequently on arterial streets (busy streets designed to move large numbers of vehicles) as temporary walkways. Design specifics are based on factors like how much space is available, drainage needs, existing infrastructure, parking impacts, slopes, and construction costs.
Traditional concrete sidewalks with standard curb and gutter cost $800,000-$1,000,000 or more per block to construct, whereas neighborhood walkways can be installed for $200,000 to $400,000 per block or less. Over 11,000 blocks citywide currently have no sidewalks – that's about one in every four blocks in the city. We implement neighborhood walkways to maximize resources and provide as many separated pedestrian walkways in as many places as quickly as possible throughout the city.
We focus on building concrete sidewalks with curb and gutter on the busy arterial streets. On less busy local non-arterial streets, we often install neighborhood walkways.
There are currently more than 2,000 miles of sidewalks in Seattle, yet nearly one in four Seattle streets are missing sidewalks. Many of these missing sidewalks are in high equity priority areas. SDOT is committed to increasing the number of sidewalks in the city in these places as quickly as possible. When making the difficult decision about where to build new sidewalks and walkways, we use the following information:
- Community insights and feedback
- Safety and equity data, including data from the Seattle Transportation Plan (STP), Safe Routes to School program, and Neighborhood Greenways program
- Proximity to frequent transit stops, public schools, and parks
If you do not live in one of the neighborhoods where a walkshop was conducted or one of the additional areas listed above (Pinehurst, Northgate, Delridge, Highland Park, Hillman City, South Park, Mt. Baker Station Area, Graham Street Station Area, Rainier View, Little Brook, Cedar Park, North 130th Station Area, or Arbor Heights), you may email levysidewalks@seattle.gov to submit a request.
Like any other standard sidewalk, neighborhood walkways are managed as city-owned assets and are maintained by adjacent property owners and SDOT crews. If there are maintenance concerns with an asphalt walkway, any member of the public may submit a request to repair the walkway by using the Find It, Fix It App, submitting an online form, or calling us at (206) 684-ROAD (7623).
Not every sidewalk or walkway will include a planting strip. We add one wherever we can, but whether we add a planting strip depends on things like available space, utility conflicts, slopes, and drainage.
What we plant depends on the site. Some planting strips get both trees and a mix of grasses with wildflowers, and others get just the grasses and wildflowers. We plant after construction is complete, during the planting season between October and April. If construction wraps up outside of those months, we will plant once the next season begins.
We choose tree species based on site conditions and the biodiversity of the surrounding area. This helps each plant thrive in its spot and supports a healthy mix of plants across the neighborhood. Want a say in the tree near your home? Email us at LevySidewalks@seattle.gov and we'll share the species approved for your street.
The grass and wildflower mix is drought tolerant, which means it needs minimal maintenance once established. We recommend that you mow it two to three times per year. Property owners are responsible for ongoing maintenance of planting strips. However, paving over or filling the planting strip with any material other than plants is not permitted. Many planting strips play an important role in filtering stormwater and improving drainage, while also creating habitats for important pollinators.
Yes, you can plant your own plants in place of the seed mix. Please let us know before construction starts so we can leave the space open for you. We will often place mulch in the planting strip to protect the soils before you plant.
To add your own plants, you will need a Street Use permit. You can learn more here.
Neighborhood Walkways - Examples
Painted walkway with wheel stop delineators and flex-posts
An asphalt walkway with a planting strip and wheel stops
At-grade concrete walkway with wheel stop delineators
A bright blue painted sidewalk with wheel stop delineators and flex-posts
An at-grade painted walkway
A natural drainage buffer between the walkway and the road
At-grade asphalt walkway
Neighborhood Walkways - Examples
Painted walkway with wheel stop delineators and flex-posts
An asphalt walkway with a planting strip and wheel stops
At-grade concrete walkway with wheel stop delineators
A bright blue painted sidewalk with wheel stop delineators and flex-posts
An at-grade painted walkway
A natural drainage buffer between the walkway and the road
At-grade asphalt walkway
Funding
New sidewalks are paid for by the Seattle Transportation Levy and school zone speed camera funds. We also look for state or federal grants.