SDOT proposes changes to one of Seattle’s deadliest intersections for pedestrians, cyclists

SEATTLE — The Seattle Department of Transportation is unveiling a new rapid response plan with the goal of improving safety along one of the most dangerous streets in the SoDo neighborhood.

According to SDOT data, the intersection of 4th Avenue and Holgate Street is one of the deadliest intersections in the city for cyclists and pedestrians.

In the past two and a half years, nearly 10% of all traffic fatalities in the city occurred within a quarter mile of this intersection, according to an SDOT presentation.

It was here that 73-year-old Gan Hao Li was struck and killed during an early morning bike ride in May.

Councilmember Tammy Morales, whose district includes the SoDo neighborhood, spoke up about the need to improve safety during a council briefing on Monday after another deadly weekend for pedestrians in the city.

“On Friday, 10 people walking or biking were hit by drivers throughout the city, including one person who was killed near the West Seattle Bridge,” said Morales. “And while it is absolutely true that my district experiences a disproportionately higher rate of crashes and fatalities through the city, the problem of unsafe infrastructure is not unique to the south end.”

In 2021, 60% of traffic fatalities occurred in Morales’ district — District 2 — which includes neighborhoods such as Georgetown and Columbia City and parts of Beacon Hill, Central District and Downtown.

In total, 178 people have been killed in traffic crashes in the city since 2015.

Now, SDOT plans to make “near-term, quicker build improvements” to the intersection to improve pedestrian safety.

During a meeting of the Seattle Freight Advisory Board on Monday, SDOT proposed adding a median island and prohibiting left turns at 4th Avenue and Massachusetts Street.

SDOT hopes to install the improvements to 4th Avenue South by this fall.

The speed limit on 4th Avenue South could also be lowered to 25 miles per hour. This speed limit is already in place on more than 90% of Seattle’s arterial streets.

SDOT says it will continue to prioritize safety investments in areas of highest need, based on fatal and serious injury crash history and equity, as part of its “Vision Zero” strategy.

Other areas of focus include the Aurora Avenue corridor and downtown Seattle.

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