City has awarded a construction contract for improvements on Pike and Pine streets

Seattle (September 12, 2022) – The City’s Office of the Waterfront and Civic Projects has awarded a construction contract to Gary Merlino Construction for $17.45M to build improvements to the streetscape that will improve the walking and rolling experience on Pike and Pine streets, between 1st and Bellevue Avenues. Construction is anticipated to begin in early 2023 and will take approximately 18 months to complete.

“Safety and accessibility are an essential part of our program, and we are excited to get started on construction of these improvements to Pike and Pine streets,” said Angela Brady, Director of the Waterfront Seattle Program. “Reaching this milestone means we are another step closer to creating spaces in our city’s downtown for all to enjoy.”

Pike Pine Streetscape and Bicycle Improvements (a part of the Downtown Seattle Association’s Pike Pine Renaissance program) includes improvements to crosswalks and sidewalks, more greenery, protected bike lanes, and new seating, all with a more consistent character and identity from end to end. The project will make Pike and Pine Streets one-way streets from 1st Ave to Bellevue Ave, with Pike St being one-way eastbound and Pine St being one-way westbound. In addition, it will add and shift existing protected bike lanes to create a continuous bike lane on Pike and Pine streets between 2nd and Melrose avenues. Bikes will be separated from traffic by a planted buffer or curbed island.

“Pike and Pine form one of the busiest corridors in the region and this project is our chance to make them truly exceptional streets for pedestrians,” said Downtown Seattle Association President & CEO Jon Scholes. “Enhancing the street-level experience from Pike Place Market to Melrose Market will help connect Capitol Hill with the rest of downtown and provide a more seamless relationship. Combined with the significant improvement to our central waterfront and convention center facilities, it’s exciting to see these truly impactful projects in downtown Seattle.”

The corridor will also feature artwork from Derek Bruno and Gage Hamilton who worked with the project team to develop artwork that will unify Pike and Pine streets with a cohesive visual language, creating a legible path from Capitol Hill through the downtown retail core to Pike Place Market and to the waterfront.

Learn more about the new Pike Pine Streetscape and Bicycle Improvements at waterfrontseattle.org.