Bicyclists have a new, safer way to pedal into downtown Seattle from the south end.
On Saturday morning, the city celebrated the opening of a new bike trail with a ribbon cutting along East Marginal Way South.
The brand new path completely separates bike traffic from the big rigs that use that road.
It stretches for about 1.5 miles, from Spokane Street to the downtown waterfront, an area heavily used by freight trucks on their way to Port of Seattle.
Construction on the $72 million project began a year and a half ago.
The two-way protected bike lane has been open for a couple of weeks.
It was unveiled October 9th.
Five days later, the city reopened East Marginal Way South to two-way traffic, after months of construction.
Construction crews are still busy working on a segment of the bike lane south of South Horton Street, on the east side of East Marginal Way South.
While that work continues, bicyclists can use the shared path on the west side of the street between South Spokane Street and South Horton Street.
Heading north into downtown Seattle, they can then connect to the new two-way bike lane using a new crossing at South Horton Street.
The East Marginal Way Corridor Improvement Project runs along East Marginal Way South from South Atlantic Street to 1st Avenue South.
It is comprised of three sections: north, central and south.
The new bike trail is part of the north segment.
The central segment will eventually add a new shared-use path for pedestrians and bicyclists south of South Spokane Street, to Diagonal Avenue South.
Because space is limited there, the path will begin on the east side of the street.
Users will then have to cross the street at a crosswalk, and move to the west side.
The south section of the project is currently still being designed.
City officials are also still working to identify funding sources.
It is expected to include improvements from Diagonal Avenue South to the First Avenue South Bridge, that could include pedestrian improvements at traffic signals and bus stops, construction of missing sidewalks, and better pedestrian and bicyclist connectivity to the 1st Avenue South bridge.
The funding of the current improvements came from the nine-year “Levy to Move Seattle,” approved by voters in 2015, as well as other local, state, and federal funding sources.
The 1.5-mile protected bike lane represents significant infrastructure investment in SoDo, Seattle’s industrial district where cycling previously required sharing narrow lanes with semi-trucks hauling containers between Port of Seattle terminals and Interstate 5 distribution routes.
The $72 million price tag for 1.5 miles translates to roughly $48 million per mile, reflecting the complexity of constructing protected bike infrastructure in an active industrial corridor without disrupting freight operations critical to regional economy.
The complete separation from freight truck traffic addresses longstanding safety concerns where cyclists navigating East Marginal Way faced constant danger from large vehicles with limited visibility and minimal stopping distances in congested port access areas.
The October 9th unveiling followed by October 14th roadway reopening demonstrates phased construction approach where bike infrastructure launched first, allowing cyclists to test the facility before full vehicle traffic returned to complicate any needed adjustments.
The year-and-a-half construction timeline for the north segment suggests extensive coordination with Port of Seattle, freight companies, and industrial businesses whose operations depend on East Marginal Way access that construction crews periodically restricted.
The ongoing work south of South Horton Street requiring temporary detours illustrates project complexity where constructing continuous protected bike lanes through industrial areas requires sequential phases accommodating existing traffic patterns.
The shared path requirement on the west side between South Spokane Street and South Horton Street represents compromise solution where right-of-way constraints prevent dedicated bike lanes, forcing pedestrians and cyclists to share space until central segment construction expands capacity.
The East Marginal Way Corridor Improvement Project’s three-segment structure spanning from South Atlantic Street to 1st Avenue South encompasses roughly three miles total, with the completed north segment representing first phase of multi-year vision transforming industrial corridor into multimodal transportation route.
The central segment’s street-crossing requirement reflects space limitations in industrial districts where buildings, loading docks, and utility infrastructure occupy both sides of roads, preventing continuous paths on single sides and forcing users to navigate mid-route crossings.
The south section’s incomplete design and uncertain funding reveals familiar Seattle infrastructure challenge where ambitious transportation visions outpace available resources, leaving crucial connectivity gaps that reduce overall network utility until future funding materializes.
The 2015 Levy to Move Seattle funding source represents nine-year $930 million transportation package voters approved for bike lanes, sidewalks, transit improvements, and road maintenance, with East Marginal Way consuming substantial portion of cycling infrastructure allocation.
The supplemental local, state, and federal funding beyond the levy indicates project costs exceeded initial Seattle-only resources, requiring grant applications to Washington State Department of Transportation and Federal Highway Administration competitive programs.
The downtown waterfront connectivity enables bike commuters from South Seattle, Georgetown, and Beacon Hill to reach downtown employment centers via protected routes rather than dangerous arterials, potentially encouraging mode shift from cars to bicycles for work trips.
The Port of Seattle freight truck traffic concentration makes East Marginal Way among Seattle’s most dangerous roads for vulnerable users, with the protected bike lane eliminating conflict points where trucks turning right historically struck cyclists in blind spots.
The ribbon-cutting celebration reflects city government’s desire to publicize successful infrastructure investments that demonstrate transportation levy expenditures producing tangible safety improvements voters can see and use, building support for future funding measures.
