Downtown Kirkland investments

The City is planning in spring 2024 to improve downtown pedestrian safety, traffic flow and a primary walking connection between Kirkland's waterfront and its downtown storefronts.

The Lake Street pedestrian scramble project will create a crosswalk at Lake Street's intersection with Kirkland Avenue that will allow people who are walking to cross the intersection in any direction when traffic is stopped.

To ensure that people who are walking and rolling are more visible to those who are driving, the project will elevate the intersection to be level with the surrounding sidewalks.

It will also upgrade the surrounding curb ramps and traffic signals.

The project will also replace a failing stormwater system, which will prevent water from pooling at the raised intersection's base.

The surface, itself, will feature landscaping, street furnishing, lighting, pavers and decorative concrete that will aesthetically connect it to Park Lane.

A project that will repave Central Way and rebuild its sidewalk access ramps begins in summer 2025. The City will rebuild Central Way between its intersections with Lake and Sixth streets. 

The City of Kirkland plans to begin construction in summer 2023 on a pedestrian and bicycle path along Northeast 85th Street that will connect Kirkland's downtown to its Rose Hill neighborhoods on the eastside of the freeway via the Northeast 80th Street pedestrian bridge. 

The City will build the path along the south side of Northeast 85th Street, between Sixth Street and Northeast 114th Avenue Northeast. 

Staff and consulting engineers are also designing the path to connect directly to Sound Transit's Bus Rapid Transit improvements at the Northeast 85th Street on-ramps onto Interstate 405.

The Washington State Department of Transportation expects in fall 2025 to complete the Northeast 85th Street freeway interchange and inline station project. The $234,432,000-project will replace the existing two-level cloverleaf interchange at Northeast 85th Street with a three-level interchange. It will also construct local improvements along Northeast 85th Street and its intersection with 114th Avenue Northeast and Kirkland Way. The project includes a roundabout at Northeast 85th Street's intersection with 114th Avenue Northeast. One of the first tasks for the project is to relocate the water main on Northeast 87th Street. 

For more information, review this document.(PDF, 4MB)

Kirkland is upgrading in spring 2024 Market neighborhood's most basic infrastructure. The City is replacing nearly 1,700 linear-feet of aging sewer main and 1,900 linear-feet of aging water main. Kirkland will upgrade the sewer main from six-inch concrete to eight-inch PVC. It will upgrade the water main from four-inch cast iron to eight-inch ductile iron. 

Kirkland is adding a third eastbound lane to Northeast 85th Street between its intersections with 120th and 122nd avenues northeast.