Seattle considers permanent changes to Lake Washington ‘Keep Moving Street’
Dec 27, 2021, 4:59 AM
The Keep Moving Street on Lake Washington Boulevard. (Photo by Jeanne Clark, courtesy of SDOT/Flickr)
(Photo by Jeanne Clark, courtesy of SDOT/Flickr)
In 2020, the Seattle Department of Transportation and Seattle Parks and Recreation opened four “Keep Moving Streets” next to destination parks — Alki Point, Green Lake, Lake Washington Boulevard, and Golden Gardens — to provide space for people to walk, bike, and roll while staying 6 feet from others.
‘Keep Moving Street’ at Green Lake reopens to drivers with walk-bike path
One of those “Keep Moving Streets” is a 3-mile segment of Lake Washington Boulevard. The street was closed all summer in 2020, and was extended to more weekends in the summer of 2021 after positive community feedback. It also closed to pass-through traffic while Seattle Public Schools were on Thanksgiving break in November 2021.
People who used the street shared their thoughts via phone calls, emails, surveys, and even videos, and SDOT says “a substantial number of people shared their joy at having a flat, intuitive space to walk, roll, and bike alongside one of Seattle’s most beautiful parks.”
Thanks to Seattle City Councilmember Tammy Morales, SDOT explains, the department secured $200,000 through the 2022 budget to “explore the right balance of closures and possible permanent changes to promote more walking, rolling, and biking on Lake Washington Blvd.”
The next phase of community engagement is expected in spring 2022.
For now, the city will consider closing Lake Washington Boulevard to pass-through traffic and opening it to people during the February and April breaks for Seattle Public Schools.
Find more information about the Lake Washington Boulevard Keep Moving Street online here.
