The transformative replacement of the old Seattle Viaduct with Waterfront Park is going fast. The project has its detractors, mostly people who dislike the numerous traffic lanes along the southern end. For us, the benefit is a downtown Seattle freshly opened up to Elliott Bay with greenery and art, rather than shut away by a barrier of double-decker concrete and the endless din of heavy traffic.
Today (December 9th, 2022), we attended the official opening of a new combined walkway/stairway at Union Street and Western Avenue. It's the final link in a pathway from the Union Street-end at 1st Avenue, across from the Seattle Art Museum, all the way down to the waterfront. There's also an elevator between Western and Alaskan Way, although the initial stretch from the top at 1st Avenue down to Western Avenue is not accessible.
The new stairway is graced with two sculptures by artist Norie Sato, which are visible in the pictures below. These stairs are definitely worth a visit! Here's the Seattle Times story on the stairway opening.
For us, the most exciting part of the Waterfront Park project is the Overlook Walk, which is still to come. It will take pedestrians from Pike Place Market all the way down to the waterfront without touching foot on Alaskan Way's traffic lanes. You can see a rendering of the future overlook below, from the City's Waterfront Seattle website, along with recent pictures of the ongoing construction. It will be a grand edifice with sweeping stairways and numerous places for walkers to pause and view the waterfront and bay. The Overlook is expected to be completed in 2025.
We're looking forward to 2025!
The polished steel "fence" along the left side of the walkway, and the arching fern-like steel form at the bottom, are sculptures by Norie Sato.
A rendering of the future Overlook Walk.
Construction of the sweeping Overlook Walk across from Pike Place Market.
