Seattle’s Keep Moving Streets near popular parks to stay open in summer

Keep Moving Streets, created near some of Seattle’s public parks last year to give more space for walkers, bikers, and rollers during the pandemic, will be sticking around into the summer.

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The four streets, created by the Seattle Department of Transportation with Seattle Parks and Recreation, are near Green Lake, Alki, Lake Washington, and Golden Gardens, and have been closed periodically to cars to create more open space for people to get outside, exercise, and be able to remain distanced from others. It was previously announced that the streets would remain until October 2020, but that’s now being extended.

SDOT says it will be making further adjustments to reopen some of these streets this summer. Keep Moving Streets are open to people walking, rolling, bike riding, skating, or scootering, and closed to through traffic for cars. People are encouraged to stay six feet away from others, wear a mask, and follow all public health guidelines when using the streets.

At Green Lake, there will be better parking lot access and the section of West Green Lake Way North between North 63rd Streets and the off-leash parking lot will be closed to drivers. The closure is expected to take effect this week, as the paving along East Green Lake Way North wraps up.

On Lake Washington Boulevard, the city plans to open a stretch from Memorial Day to September based on success from the past pilot program, but is looking for input on the options for the summer here.

At Alki Point, the SDOT says it’s working to secure funding for designing and building permanent changes to the street based on community input. It will remain in its current form until spring 2022. Get involved and weigh in on the future of this Keep Moving Street here.

Over the last sunny weekend, Seattle Parks and Recreation say they saw crowding and mask noncompliance at Golden Gardens Park, and are considering closing the parking lots and instead reopening Golden Gardens Drive Northwest to people walking. The status of the Keep Moving Street at Golden Gardens will be determined by these decisions related to the park itself.

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The city also created similar “Stay Healthy Streets” in residential neighborhoods, which you can share your thoughts about through a survey online here.