UW Montlake Triangle

KPFF provided prime, civil, and structural consulting and design services for the Montlake Triangle and Lower Rainier Vista project, which serves as a new grand entrance to University of Washington Campus. The Rainier Vista was extended into the Montlake Triangle by lowering City of Seattle owned NE Pacific Place and constructing a bicycle and pedestrian landbridge over the roadway. Other elements of this complicated project included the design of a temporary bypass road for NE Pacific Place, which was used to convey traffic through the site while the new road was being constructed. In addition King County Metro’s overhead catenary system was designed to accommodate both the temporary and permanent alignments of NE Pacific Street.

The Rainier Vista axis provides a view corridor to Mt. Rainier, and was implemented by the Olmstead Brothers for the Alaska Yukon Exposition in the early 1900s. The extended Rainier Vista will maintain the historic view corridor while connecting campus with pedestrian traffic from the University Link Station and bicycle traffic from the new State Route 520 Bridge.