Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) is excited to announce we have permits in hand and are moving forward with the construction of Phase 1 (Foster Island) work on the Waterfront Trail. Redside Construction will be performing the work and is planning to begin construction by June 2026. The work will include new structural support piles, floats, walers, gangways, and railings to improve trail accessibility and year-round use. During construction public access will be affected, and a portion of the trail will be closed to the public.

Additionally, the project received good news that the Seattle Parks District allocated funds to help move the Phase 2 (Marsh Island) design portion of work forward. The consultant team has begun developing design documents and we anticipate to be at a 60% design this summer.

Thank you to the community for your patience as we have worked diligently over the past years on design, permitting and funding hurdles. Together with our partners we are thrilled to be moving into the construction phase and preserving the Waterfront Trail.

Seattle Parks and Recreation is working to enhance and preserve the Arboretum Waterfront Trail and waterfront access. The trail has begun to show its age and there are plans to make significant updates to the trail to prevent the overwater walkways and on-grade paths from being submerged and impassable when the lake level is high. Lake levels are controlled by the US Army Corps of Engineers and are lower in the winter and increase in the spring. During the spring and summer months, the trail may be impassable or difficult to navigate.

We do not have enough funding to renovate the entire trail, so we plan to construct improvements in phases as the budget allows. The first phase of work focuses on the design and construction of the Foster Island section of the trail and the floating walkway. Phase two focuses on improvements to the Marsh Island section of the trails.