Seattle’s ‘Keep Moving Streets’ will remain closed to cars until October
Sep 9, 2020, 5:29 AM | Updated: 11:26 am
Keep Moving Street at Alki Point. (SDOT Flickr)
(SDOT Flickr)
The Seattle Department of Transportation and Seattle Parks and Recreation have decided that currently closed streets near four popular destination parks will remain open for people to walk, roll, and bike through September. These “Keep Moving Streets” were originally created to give people more space to be active outside while staying physically distanced during the ongoing pandemic.
Blocked streets at Green Lake, Alki Point, Golden Gardens, and on Lake Washington Boulevard will remain closed to vehicular traffic until at least Oct. 5, 2020.
The SDOT says there are nearly 5 miles of Keep Moving Streets around these four popular parks, similar to the more than 25 miles of “Stay Healthy Streets” on the city’s existing network of Seattle Neighborhood Greenways. Stay Healthy Streets were set up on calm neighborhood streets, while Keep Moving Streets are in locations near busy parks with higher speeds and traffic volumes.
All of these streets are closed to through traffic, but people may drive on the streets to reach homes, businesses, and to drop people off who need close access. In addition to the street closures, many of the parking lots at local parks are closed to reduce crowding and limit the spread of COVID-19.
The closure on Lake Washington Boulevard is 3 miles long, and was first closed as a pilot project in June. It was kept open in July through Labor Day weekend, with the option to extend it based on feedback from the community. After the new extension of Oct. 5, the city may take the suggestion from the community of reopening the Keep Moving Street on weekends.
Any updates for the other Keep Moving Streets’ schedules can be found online at the SDOT blog here.
Why Seattle is permanently closing 20 miles of streets to through-traffic
The SDOT has already committed to making 20 miles of these street closures permanent, but is continuing to collect community feedback to inform what those closures will look like in the future, post-pandemic.
