• JoshHolland
• Sept. 22, 2025

We’re celebrating!!!

Construction is now complete on 3.5 miles of new bike lanes that will transform how people are able to get into and around the Duwamish Valley!

This project will not only serve neighborhood residents and workers in South Park, Georgetown, and SODO, but it also represents a response from the city to historic and ongoing inequitable land use practices that have divided communities across the Duwamish Valley since the straightening of the Duwamish River. Neighborhoods were demolished by industrial land use, and families bore the weight of harmful policies.

Now, it’s where Seattle’s vibrant Hispanic community has taken root, where more than 8,500 people live, 30,000 work, and countless more gather for school, festivals, and everyday joy. Yet Georgetown and South Park remain divided from each other and from the rest of Seattle by unsafe and intimidating streets.

Georgetown to South Park Trail: A 25-Year Dream

Georgetown and South Park are only 1.8 miles apart—flat, direct, and full of potential. But without safe ways to walk or bike, this short distance has felt like a world away.

For more than 25 years, community leaders have pushed for a safe trail to connect the two neighborhoods. In 2017, their organizing secured funding for design, and in 2019, they won more funding to keep the project moving. Now, six years later, we’re finally celebrating the opening of the Georgetown to South Park Trail—an achievement that belongs to the community advocates who refused to give up.

This victory was made possible by the persistence of groups including Duwamish Valley Safe Streets, Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition, South Park Merchants Association, South Park Neighborhood Association, Georgetown Merchants Association, South Park Green Space Coalition, Georgetown Open Space Committee, Georgetown Youth Council, and so many more.

Georgetown to Downtown: A Safer Route Through SODO

The new Georgetown to Downtown connection builds on this momentum, giving people a safe, protected route from the heart of Georgetown through SODO and will soon connect to downtown Seattle.

This project was spurred by tragedy: between 2020 and 2022, three people were killed while biking in SODO, and 40% of Seattle’s traffic deaths occurred there. With thousands of shift workers commuting daily to Seattle’s industrial core, and with more growth and housing coming to Georgetown, the need for a safe connection became undeniable.

Now, thanks to community pressure, people biking can travel into and through SODO protected from heavy traffic and freight for the very first time, accessing light rail, thousands of jobs, growing housing, live/work spaces, art hubs, shopping, and more.

A Connected Duwamish Valley Bike Network

Together, these two projects create 3.5 miles of safe, comfortable routes—linking South Park, Georgetown, SODO, and the stadium district. But this is just the beginning. These two new routes, while transformational, do not yet connect to the rest of Seattle's bike network to the north, south, east, and west. These routes lay the groundwork, and the Duwamish Valley is on its way to becoming safer and more connected than ever before. Let's continue advocacy to make a complete, connected Duwamish Valley bike network

For too long, the Duwamish Valley has been one of the most dangerous places in Seattle to bike. These projects are proof that freight mobility and safe streets can coexist—and that decades of community advocacy can reshape our city for health, sustainability, and equity.

Join the Community Celebration

We’re not just cutting a ribbon—we’re celebrating a new chapter of connection in the Duwamish Valley.

Sunday, September 28
12:00 – 2:00 PM
Mini Mart City Park, Georgetown

Family-friendly event with free food, live music, and community joy

GETTING THERE:

Bike Ride from Hing Hay Park (Chinatown). Meet at 10:45 AM.

Walk/slow family ride from South Park Plaza. Meet at 11:00 AM.

Both groups will end at Mini Mart City Park in time to enjoy the festivities.

Come celebrate with the neighbors, advocates, and organizers who made this dream a reality.