Denny Way Paving Project

Paving, sidewalk repair and curb ramps

Updated: January 21, 2025

What's happening now?

We expect to begin construction early in 2025.   

The Denny Way paving project will repave the arterial and bring multiple sidewalk curb ramps up to Americans with Disabilities Act accessibility standards. With many people returning to work in the city, particularly in this area, we understand the importance of minimizing disruptions when possible.

Denny Way Paving Project Virtual Community Meeting
We recently hosted a virtual community meeting to share more information about the Denny Way Paving Project. You can download the PowerPoint used during that meeting.  

Learn More 
To ensure you're being informed of the latest updates and developments on the Denny Way Paving project, we encourage you to sign up for our project emails here. This will give you detailed information about construction activities, traffic detours, timelines, and any changes that may affect your neighborhood or travels. Please feel free to share the details of our website and project emails with friends, family, colleagues, or anyone who might be interested in knowing more. The project team is available for briefings to community organizations and employers and can answer questions you might have. 

You can stay up to date by subscribing to our project email list. 

Call us at (206) 257-2243 or email us at DennyWay@Seattle.gov. 

Overview

Seattle’s Denny Way connects Capitol Hill and Interstate 5 to South Lake Union, Downtown and Uptown Seattle as a primary arterial in accessing many of the city’s core  neighborhoods to the west, south and north. It is also a major freight route and a part of the City of Seattle’s frequent transit network. In 2025, the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) will pave approximately 12 blocks of Denny Way to restore the pavement condition in this critical piece of Downtown Seattle’s arterial network. Work will also include sidewalk and curb ramp upgrades, signal upgrades, additional signage, and bus stop consolidation. 

Improvements

The Denny Way Paving Project includes:

  • 12 blocks of asphalt paving including new asphalt paving on Denny Way from approximately 5th Ave to Stewart Ave and new asphalt paving on Yale Ave from Denny Way to Howell St 
  • 8 new curb ramps and 21 rebuilt curb ramps 
  • Sidewalk improvements  
  • 28 "no turn on red" signs  
  • 25 painted stop bars at every signalized intersection 
  • Hardened centerlines reinforcing existing turn restrictions
  • Bus stop changes to improve transit travel time and reliability   
  • Eight total curb bulbs that shorten crossing distances including four paint-and-post curb bulbs at select intersections, one plastic curb and post bulb and three concrete curb bulb

During the design phase, we will continue to look for ways to leverage funding opportunities with adjacent development to implement additional safety enhancements while keeping our project delivery schedule on track.

Construction Impacts 

During construction, anticipated impacts will include:

  • Typical construction noise, dust, smell, and vibrations
  • Some sidewalk closures or posted pedestrian detours
  • Advance notification to businesses and residents surrounding work
  • Off-peak work hours between 7:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. Monday-Friday with possible weekend work when needed
  • Some parking and loading zone restrictions near work zones  
  • Business access maintained
  • Lane shifts 

Project Map

Map showing work area on Denny Way

Please click this link to download a PDF of the project map.

Timeline

We expect construction to begin in early 2025 and finish by the end of the year.  

Timeline showing that we are in construction

  1. Planning (2022-2023): We collected data and reviewed plans.
  2. Design (2023-2024): We are communicating with stakeholders to inform construction planning.  
  3. Construction (2025): We will construct the project and keep the community informed on the latest construction updates, schedule, and expected impacts. 

Learn More

As a high-traffic, active area with a variety of local businesses, residential buildings, frequent bus routes, large truck deliveries, and people walking, biking, and driving, we are committed to working with project neighbors to best coordinate construction timing and impacts as paving involves heavy construction. We are reaching out to people in the neighborhood in the coming months and we are always interested in meeting with community and neighborhood groups that want to learn more about the project and make their voices heard as we prepare for construction in the meantime. You can request a briefing by emailing, DennyWay@Seattle.gov.

Funding

This project is funded in part by the nine-year Levy to Move Seattle, approved by Seattle voters in 2015. Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC) awarded SDOT $1.45 million in Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) preservation grant funding to complete this project.

We're committed to maintaining a productive, inclusive, and collaborative relationship with all who live, work, or travel in the project area. Please contact us with any questions.

Phone:(206) 257-2243
Email: DennyWay@Seattle.gov

Community Outreach Lead
Darrell Bulmer

Project Manager
Bill Clark

Need a translation?

For information about our work to replace the road surface and make other safety improvements on Denny Way in your language, please call (206) 257-2243

Para información en su idioma sobre nuestro trabajo para reemplazar la superficie de la carretera y realizar otras mejoras de seguridad en Denny Way, llame al (206) 257-2243

Denny Way의 노면 교체 및 기타 안전 개선을 위한 교통국의 작업에 대한 정보를 귀하의 언어로 확인하시려면 (206) 257-2243으로 전화하십시오.

Để biết thông tin bằng ngôn ngữ của quý vị về việc chúng tôi thay thế bề mặt đường và thực hiện các cải tiến an toàn khác trên đường Denny Way, vui lòng gọi (206) 257-2243

有關我們在 Denny Way 上更新路面和進行其他安全改進工作的資訊（以您的語言），請致電 (206) 257-2243。

Project Materials

Project Flyer (November 2023)

Updated: 2/8/2018

Transportation

Greg Spotts, Director
Address: 700 5th Ave, Suite 3800, Seattle, WA, 98104
Mailing Address: PO Box 34996, Seattle, WA, 98124-4996
Phone: (206) 684-7623
684-Road@seattle.gov

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The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) is on a mission to deliver a transportation system that provides safe and affordable access to places and opportunities for everyone as we work to achieve our vision of Seattle as a thriving, equitable community powered by dependable transportation.