6th Ave NW neighborhood greenway now complete

Meghan Walker Ballard

The project to create a neighborhood greenway through Ballard on 6th Ave NW is now complete.

A neighborhood greenway is a city street with traffic-calming measures to make it easier for people to walk and bike. Seattle has a network of neighborhood greenways—there’s also one on 28th Ave NW in Ballard.

The 6th Ave NW greenway has been in the works since 2019, when a group of residents from Ballard, Phinney, West Woodland, and Fremont proposed developing a bike route that would connect residents to the Burke-Gilman Trail and public transportation. They submitted the idea to the city’s Your Voice Your Choice program, and in Sept. 2019, the public voted to allot District 6 funds to the program.

The changes to 6th Ave NW include the following:

  • Installing a crossing signal at NW 43rd St across Leary Ave NW on the south end of 6th Ave NW
  • Speed humps and new stop signs along 6th Ave NW
  • Dedicated bike path on 6th Ave NW from NW 48th St to NW 58th St

There will be a ribbon-cutting ceremony and celebratory bike ride on Saturday, Oct. 19 to celebrate the new greenway. The bike ride will start at 10 a.m. from 6th Ave NW and NW 58th St.

The ride will go south on 6th Ave NW along the new bike path to NW 49th St for the celebration, where SDOT is organizing speakers including District 6 Councilmember Dan Strauss, refreshments, treats, and giveaways (speakers start at 10:30 a.m.). The celebration will go until 12 p.m.

Organizers ask that attendees park away from the closed intersection at 6th Ave NW between 48th and 49th to avoid congestion with extra pedestrians and bikers.

SDOT will close 6th Ave NW from NW 48th St to NW 49th St between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. for the celebration.

Photo: Seattle Neighborhood Greenways