More than 50 Highland Park residents packed into the Southwest Branch Library on Wednesday night, demanding answers from the Seattle Department of Transportation about its plan to convert the downhill lane of Highland Park Way into a protected bike or multi-use path. SDOT officials told the crowd the redesign is aimed at calming vehicle speeds and closing a critical gap to the Duwamish River Trail, while opponents warned that pulling out a driving lane could clog one of West Seattle’s few major exits. The in-person session followed earlier online briefings and turned into an extended question-and-answer period as neighbors pressed for specifics.
SDOT says it is about safety
Representatives from SDOT framed the proposal as a Vision Zero safety project and said roughly $4 million is budgeted from Bicycle Master Plan and Vision Zero funds, according to the West Seattle Blog. Staff also unveiled a new “Option 2B” for the bottom of the hill and repeated that removing the right northbound, downhill driving lane is central to how they intend to improve safety.
Design choices and schedule
Early design materials from the city outline three basic approaches: a downhill protected bike lane, a wider multi-use path, or a phased combination of the two. Each version would convert the right northbound driving lane into a separated space in order to slow vehicle speeds and create a buffer, according to SDOT. The project pages show design work continuing through 2026, with construction currently anticipated to start in early 2027 using levy funding.
Highland Park organizers demanded answers
The Highland Park Action Coalition had requested an in-person meeting with SDOT and lists the March 25 session at the Southwest Branch Library on its calendar. The group said it wanted a more detailed, technical conversation than earlier online events allowed. HPAC co-chairs and many neighbors used the time to question SDOT staff about traffic modeling, bus operations, emergency response, and what the lane change could mean for daily commutes.
Engineering tradeoffs and the “what ifs”
SDOT engineers told attendees they plan to use plastic center-line posts and a high-friction surface, and said that moving curbs or widening sidewalks would be far more expensive. Project engineer Luke Larson was quoted saying the existing downhill sidewalk is six to eight feet wide and would need to be 10 to 12 feet wide, plus “tens of millions of dollars” in retaining-wall work, according to the West Seattle Blog. SDOT also told the room that removable jersey barriers could be pulled out to reopen a lane “within a couple of days” if an emergency required restoring full vehicle capacity.
What comes next
SDOT says it will continue design work this year and move toward construction in early 2027, with the agency’s project page providing outreach materials and contact details for anyone seeking updates. HPAC organizers said they plan to keep meeting with neighbors and city staff as the design evolves, and they urged residents to stay engaged with the technical documents now posted online.
