Seattle, WA
Seattle starts work on bridge from market to waterfront
SEATTLE (AP) — Seattle has began work on a brand new pedestrian bridge that may join Pike Place Market to the downtown waterfront.
Dubbed “Overlook Stroll,” the bridge will stretch above Alaskan Means, with one arm descending on to a brand new waterfront promenade and one other arm extending onto the roof of a brand new Seattle Aquarium pavilion. Development on the bridge started final week, the Workplace of the Waterfront instructed The Seattle Occasions. The promenade and the Aquarium’s pavilion for sharks and stingrays are additionally at the moment below development.
The bridge will embrace slopes and a brand new elevator along with stairs, in line with the Workplace of the Waterfront, which says the house will function a kind of “elevated park” with terraced landscaping, native vegetation, expansive Elliott Bay views, amphitheater-style seats for concert events and a brand new cafe, plus slides and different “play components” for youngsters.
The Overlook Stroll undertaking is a part of an enormous redevelopment of Seattle’s downtown waterfront that was made attainable by the 2019 elimination of the Alaskan Means Viaduct. The worth tag for the pedestrian bridge is about $70 million. The price of the whole redevelopment scheme is greater than $750 million, paid for by the town, the state, personal donors and a particular tax on downtown property house owners assessed by way of a “native enchancment district.”
Pals of the Waterfront Seattle, a nonprofit that may handle the operations of the redeveloped waterfront, is meant to boost $110 million from personal donors. The group had raised $84 million as of December.
The pedestrian bridge, anticipated to open by 2025, will connect with the “MarketFront” addition to Pike Place Market that was accomplished in 2017.
There might be two everlasting artwork installations on the bridge: Undulating, puppet-like material figures by Ann Hamilton and a Coast Salish basket-inspired sculpture by the MTK Matriarchs, a three-person group.
The Metropolis Council voted in 2019 to contribute $34 million in real-estate excise tax income to the Aquarium’s $113 million new “Ocean Pavilion.” The Aquarium’s plan for the constructing, scheduled to open in 2024, requires a 325,000-gallon tank with sharks, stingrays and fish from the South Pacific.
The waterfront redevelopment additionally features a new Alaskan Means with two general-traffic lanes in every route, plus a bus lane every means and two flip lanes for ferry visitors close to Colman Dock.