Highland Park Way SW and SW Holden St Safety Improvements

Updated July 20, 2023

What's Happening Now?

Construction is underway and the project is scheduled to be completed in early 2024. Our crews will be working on weekdays between 7 AM and 4 PM. Traffic impacts will vary based on the stage of construction, but please plan for the following:

Lane closures
No parking areas near the intersection (our crews will put out signs)
Crosswalk re-routing for people who are walking
Temporary driveway closures (we will notify affected neighbors directly)
Typical construction equipment, noise, dust, vibration, and activity

Thank you for your patience as we create a safer and more accessible intersection for all. If you have any questions or concerns, please email us at: HighlandHolden@seattle.gov or leave us a voicemail at: (206) 900-8741.

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Project Overview & Design

Highland Park Way SW is a major north-south route in West Seattle, providing access to SR 99, SR 509, I-5, and the Duwamish Trail. It has been the site of several crashes and safety issues due to poor sight distances, high speeds, travel lane confusion, and a lack of pedestrian facilities like crosswalks. The Highland Park community asked for changes at this busy intersection and this project includes:

A more durable traffic signal with metal poles that have signal lights instead of lights connected to wooden poles.
Traffic cameras to monitor and adjust the signal in real-time, as well as vehicle detection in the pavement so the signal can recognize when a person driving is waiting at the light.
Upgraded ADA accessible concrete curb ramps and curb bulbs at all four corners of the intersection.
Permanent crosswalks at each crossing.

Map of Highland Park Way SW and SW Holden Street intersection that shows new crosswalks at all four crossings, an upgraded 4-way permanent traffic signal, and upgraded curb ramps and curb bulbs at all four corners of the intersection.

Public Art Installation

We secured 1% art funding for this project! The City of Seattle Office of Arts & Culture will install an artwork tentatively titled “Where’s the Party” by artist Matthew Mazzotta. Perched at the apex of Highland Park Way SW a larger-than-life Steller’s Jay will soon watch over the neighborhood. This new artwork was chosen by a community selection panel to be part of the Highland Park Way SW and SW Holden St Safety Improvements project.

Learn more about the artwork on the Art Beat Blog.

Intersection drawing showing a sculpture of a larger-than-life Stellar's jay sitting on a single branch coming out of the ground. The Stellar's jay sculpture is very tall, and the picture shows a person walking near it. It is about twice their height. There are also two people biking near the sculpture and one person is looking at it.

Drawing of a street and sidewalk showing a sculpture of a larger-than-life Stellar's jay sitting on a single branch coming out of the ground. The Stellar's jay sculpture is very tall, and the picture shows two people walking near it. It is about twice their height. There is also person biking on the street near the sculpture.

The artwork concept tentatively titled "“Where’s the Party” by artist Matthew Mazzotta was chosen by a community selection panel.

Project History & Additional Traffic Calming

The closure of the West Seattle Bridge on March 23, 2020 brought significant traffic to the Highland Park neighborhood and to the already-strained intersection of Highland Park Way SW and SW Holden St. One of the first projects we built shortly after the bridge closed was a temporary signal at the intersection. This temporary signal will be replaced by a permanent signal as part of the Highland Park Way SW and SW Holden St Safety Improvements project.

In June and July 2020, we also built speed humps and cushions in nine locations near the intersection to support safety around the new traffic signal. These locations are shown below. The speed humps and cushions help slow down vehicles as they approach the intersection and discourage neighborhood cut-through traffic. Speed humps are a solid hump across the road and speed cushions leave spaces between for emergency vehicles and people biking to easily pass through.

Separate from this project, the Reconnect West Seattle project team added traffic calming in the Highland Park neighborhood to address detour traffic from the West Seattle Bridge closure, through a Home Zone. A Home Zone involves the entire neighborhood working together to prioritize improvements that calm traffic on residential streets and improve pedestrian mobility and neighborhood livability.

Locations of speed humps and cushions in Highland Park neighborhood

Materials

Construction notice (June 2023)
SDOT Blog: Construction after the West Seattle Bridge reopens
Highland Park Action Coalition Meeting (October 28, 2020)
30% design intersection graphic (Fall 2020)
Design outreach (Spring-Summer 2020)
Speed humps and cushions postcard (June 2020)
Highland Park Action Coalition Meeting (May 27, 2020)
Project mailer (May 2020)
Early design plans for public input (May 2020)

Funding

This project is funded by the 9-year Levy to Move Seattle, approved by voters in 2015.