Seattle Aquarium expansion is latest addition to waterfront revitalization project

SEATTLE — The expansion of the Seattle Aquarium is just one piece of a larger puzzle. The Seattle Waterfront project will bring new and improved parks, piers and pedestrian connections.

“It is the front porch of our city,” said James Sido with the Downtown Seattle Association (DSA).

Construction on the Waterfront Seattle project began in 2019 when crews removed the Alaskan Way Viaduct. The entire revitalization project is expected to be completed next year.

A major piece of the project is Waterfront Park, which will include over 20 acres of public space.

The project will cost, in total, more than $800 million. Nonprofit Friends of Waterfront Seattle is completing the $170 million campaign to help fund the project, expecting nearly all the funding to come from private donations, fundraising and corporate donations.

“Between the tunnel and the long-term investments, you’re looking at over $4 billion of investment in this place,” said Joy Shigaki, President and CEO of Friends of Waterfront Park.

The project aims to better connect Seattle’s waterfront with the rest of Downtown.

“Being able to have these sort of assets, it means we bring in more people Downtown,” Sido said.

DSA has tracked visitors Downtown closely. In July 2024, the organization tracked nearly 3.1 million unique visitors Downtown, according to the DSA’s Revitalization Dashboard. The number represents 94% of the visitors seen in July of 2019.

The organization has seen significant improvements in tourism Downtown since the pandemic. Foot traffic from out-of-town visitors in 2023 surpassed levels seen in 2019, according to the organization.

Local visitors have been slower to return Downtown, though DSA has seen improvements over the last few months. In May of 2023, many cited concerns about crime and public safety as their primary reason for staying away.

“Bringing people to the waterfront to experience this place, it’s going to bring people to other parts of downtown,” Sido said.

The next major piece of the project will open in October. Overlook Walk is an elevated walkway that connects Pike Place Market to the water below.

The real work is just getting started. Friends of Waterfront Park will continue to active that park with events and activities for years to come.

“We all need to be connected to something deeper, which is the beauty of a place, but we also want to be connected to other people,” Shigaki said.

Current estimates suggest Waterfront Park will welcome 15 million visitors every year once complete.

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