Seattle Parks and Recreation is excited to announce we now have permits in hand and are moving forward with the bidding and construction of Phase 1 (Foster Island) work.  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. We have begun to get a design consultant under contract and initiate additional surveys.

Thank you to the community for their patience as we 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.