Still ahead are extensions that will connect the park to The Beach at Expedia Group by summer 2026.
SEATTLE — Seattle marked the end of 15 years of construction Saturday with the opening of Waterfront Park on Elliott Bay, a 20-acre, 17-block public space built where the Alaskan Way Viaduct once stood.
City and community groups hosted Meet Me at Waterfront Park on Sept. 6, a ribbon-cutting followed by an all-day celebration with live entertainment, art installations and local food vendors.
The $800 million Waterfront Seattle project rebuilt Alaskan Way between South King and Pike streets, added Elliott Way from Alaskan Way to Bell Street, and created a two-way protected bike lane and a waterfront promenade along Alaskan Way. The project also rebuilt Seneca Street between Western Avenue and Alaskan Way, and Columbia Street between First Avenue and Alaskan Way, with new parking, landscaping and lighting.
The Elliott Way bridge now links the waterfront to Belltown, running from Alaskan Way near Pine Street to Bell Street with two vehicle lanes in each direction, sidewalks and bike paths.
Still ahead are extensions that will connect the park to The Beach at Expedia Group by summer 2026. A coalition called Elliott Bay Connections — whose partners include Melinda Gates and the Downtown Seattle Association — plans to complete a new greenway trail between Waterfront Park and Olympic Sculpture Park.
Also in the coming months, Urban Family Brewing Co. is set to open a 4,000-square-foot brewery with a 4,500-square-foot patio at 1022 Alaskan Way.
That addition will bring the number of Seattle Waterfront businesses to 42, according to Bob Donegan, President and CEO of Ivar’s. Donegan tells KING 5 that throughout the many years of construction and pandemic-related hardship leading up to the completion of the Waterfront Park, only four businesses shut their doors during that time.
