View source for Denny Way

{{short description|East-west street in Seattle, Washington, U.S.}}
{{Infobox street
| name                    = Denny Way
| alternate_name          = 
| other_name              = 
| former_names            = Depot Street
| namesake                = [[David Denny]]
| type                    = 
| marker_image            = {{Street sign blade|Denny|WAY|v-align=bottom|font=FHWA C|suffix-size=50%}}
| image                   = 
| caption                 = 
| image_map               = {{maplink|frame=yes|plain=yes|frame-align=center|frame-width=290|frame-lat=47.618|frame-long=-122.321|zoom=12|type=line|raw={{Wikipedia:Map data/Wikipedia KML/Denny Way}}}}
| map_type                = 
| map_size                = 
| map_caption             = Map of central Seattle with Denny Way highlighted in red
| map_alt                 = 
| length_mi               = 3.5
| length_ref              = <ref name="google">{{google maps |title=Denny Way |url=https://www.google.com/maps/dir/47.6185956,-122.3573261/47.618321,-122.2853759/@47.6168954,-122.3387723,14z/am=t/data=!4m2!4m1!3e2 |accessdate=August 9, 2018}}</ref>
| width                   = 
| location                = [[Seattle]], Washington, U.S.
| maint                   = [[Seattle Department of Transportation]]
| direction_a             = West
| terminus_a              = Western Avenue in [[Lower Queen Anne, Seattle|Lower Queen Anne]]
| junction                = {{Plainlist|
*{{jct|state=WA|SR|99}}
*{{jct|state=WA|I|5}}
*[[Broadway (Seattle)|Broadway]]
*[[Madison Street (Seattle)|Madison Street]]
}}
| direction_b             = East
| terminus_b              = Madrona Place (38th Avenue) in [[Madrona, Seattle|Madrona]]
| designer                = 
| commissioning_date      = 
| construction_start_date = 
| completion_date         = 
| inauguration_date       = <!-- {{Start date|YYYY|MM|DD}} -->
}}

'''Denny Way''' is an east–west [[Arterial road|arterial street]] in [[Downtown Seattle|downtown]] [[Seattle]], Washington, United States. It forms the northern end of the [[Belltown, Seattle|Belltown]] street grid as well as the boundaries of Belltown, [[Lower Queen Anne, Seattle|Lower Queen Anne]], [[South Lake Union, Seattle|South Lake Union]], [[Denny Triangle, Seattle|Denny Triangle]], and [[Cascade, Seattle|Cascade]]. The street continues east through [[Capitol Hill (Seattle)|Capitol Hill]] to [[Madrona, Seattle|Madrona]] as a minor neighborhood street, ending near [[Madrona Park (Seattle)|Madrona Park]] on [[Lake Washington]].

==Street description==
[[File:Seattle - Fat City Motors 01.jpg|thumb|left|Looking east on Denny Way at 5th Avenue, where it crosses under the [[Seattle Monorail]]]] 

Denny Way begins as an offshoot of Western Avenue, two blocks uphill from [[Myrtle Edwards Park]] on the [[Elliott Bay]] waterfront and near the former ''[[Seattle Post-Intelligencer]]'' offices.<ref>{{cite news |last=Burton |first=Lynsi |date=December 17, 2015 |title=P-I globe now a city landmark |url=https://www.seattlepi.com/seattlenews/article/P-I-Globe-now-a-city-landmark-6705561.php |work=[[Seattle Post-Intelligencer]] |accessdate=August 9, 2018}}</ref> The street travels east through the dense commercial–residential district of Lower Queen Anne and passes the [[Seattle Center]] campus, including the [[Pacific Science Center]] and [[Space Needle]]. At 5th Avenue, adjacent to [[Tilikum Place]] and the [[KOMO-TV]] headquarters at [[KOMO Plaza]], Denny Way passes under the [[Seattle Center Monorail]] and enters the [[South Lake Union, Seattle|South Lake Union]] neighborhood. The street crosses over what was once the north portal of the [[Battery Street Tunnel]], a tunnel taken out of service in January 2019. Denny Way continues east, downhill along [[Denny Park]] to an intersection with [[Westlake Avenue]] at the heart of South Lake Union.<ref name="google"/> The intersection includes a set of small plazas on its southwest and southeast sides that double as [[Seattle Streetcar]] stops.<ref name="google"/>

From Westlake, Denny Way climbs a steep grade towards the [[Cascade, Seattle|Cascade]] neighborhood and passes the headquarters of ''[[The Seattle Times]]'', which features a mounted [[news ticker]].<ref>{{cite news |last=O'Hagan |first=Maureen |date=February 28, 2012 |title=The Seattle Times news ticker now delivering the news |page=B1 |url=http://old.seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2017612273_ticker28m.html |work=[[The Seattle Times]] |accessdate=August 23, 2018}}</ref> The street passes the [[Denny Substation]] and intersects onramps and offramps that connect to [[Interstate 5 in Washington|Interstate 5]], which Denny Way then crosses to reach [[Capitol Hill (Seattle)|Capitol Hill]].<ref>{{cite web |date=February 29, 2012 |title=SR 5 – Exit 166: Junction Olive Way/Stewart Street/Denny Way |url=http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/mapsdata/tools/InterchangeViewer/pdf/SR005/005X166.pdf |publisher=[[Washington State Department of Transportation]] |accessdate=August 9, 2018}}</ref> After an intersection with the diagonal-running Olive Way, Denny Way narrows into a two-lane residential street and shifts slightly north while passing several mid-rise apartment buildings. At [[Broadway (Seattle)|Broadway]], Denny Way becomes a westbound-only [[woonerf]] named Barbara Bailey Way, with drop-off lanes serving the adjacent [[Capitol Hill station|Capitol Hill light rail station]], whose south entrance is located on the south side of the street.<ref name="google"/><ref name="Times-2016LR">{{cite news |last=Lindblom |first=Mike |date=March 14, 2016 |title=Take a look inside Capitol Hill's long-awaited light-rail station |page=B1 |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/transportation/see-inside-capitol-hills-long-awaited-light-rail-station/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=August 9, 2018}}</ref>

Past [[Cal Anderson Park]], East Denny Way regains its name and becomes bi-directional again and travels uphill towards the [[Kaiser Permanente]] (formerly [[Group Health]]) campus at 15th Avenue East, where it shifts to the south. The street begins its descent into the [[Madison Valley, Seattle|Madison Valley]] and turns southeast to intersect [[Madison Street (Seattle)|Madison Street]] at 22nd Avenue. A second section of the street begins one block northeast at Madison and [[23rd Avenue (Seattle)|23rd Avenue]], running east to the Harrison Ridge Greenbelt at 32nd Avenue, where it shifts south to become part of Madrona Drive. The street continues southeast to [[Madrona Park (Seattle)|Madrona Park]] on the western shore of [[Lake Washington]].<ref name="google"/> Sections of East Denny Way are among the steepest blocks in Seattle and are popular with [[sledding|street sledders]] during snowstorms.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Turnbull |first1=Lornet |last2=Bhatt |first2=Sanjay |date=December 23, 2008 |title=Sledders take to area streets, and injuries sometimes follow |url=http://old.seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2008550889_sled23m.html |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=August 9, 2018}}</ref>

From [[Downtown Seattle]] to Olive Way on Capitol Hill, Denny Way is classified as a major arterial street and as part of the [[National Highway System (United States)|National Highway System]], a network of roads identified as important to the national economy, defense, and mobility.<ref>{{cite map |title=Seattle Roadway Classification |url=http://seattlecitygis.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=a808f790a24e474d86ecde00dae81cee |publisher=Seattle Department of Transportation |cartography=[[ArcGIS]] |accessdate=August 23, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=National Highway System Routes – Washington State |url=https://www.wsdot.wa.gov/mapsdata/travel/hpms/NHSRoutes.htm |publisher=Washington State Department of Transportation |accessdate=August 23, 2018}}</ref> It also forms the northern boundary of the [[Belltown, Seattle|Belltown]] street grid, which is [[Street layout of Seattle|oriented]] towards a section of Elliott Bay, 49 degrees from true north. As a result, the street has several triangular blocks and irregular intersections on its south side, including [[Tilikum Place]] park.<ref name="SDOT-2013">{{cite web |date=September 2013 |title=Denny Way Streetscape Concept Plan |url=https://www.seattle.gov/rowmanual/manual/pdf/DennyWay_SSCP_Sept2013.pdf |publisher=Seattle Department of Transportation |accessdate=August 9, 2018}}</ref> Denny Way is one of the busiest streets in Seattle, with an [[Annual average daily traffic|average weekday traffic volume]] of 39,100 vehicles in Lower Queen Anne. Its least-traveled section, near Madrona Drive, carried only 2,500 vehicles on an average weekday in 2016.<ref>{{cite map |date=October 2017 |title=2016 Seattle Traffic Flow Map |url=https://www.seattle.gov/Documents/Departments/SDOT/About/DocumentLibrary/Reports/TrafficFlowMap2016.pdf |publisher=Seattle Department of Transportation |accessdate=August 9, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=December 2017 |title=2017 Traffic Report |page=34 |url=https://www.seattle.gov/Documents/Departments/SDOT/About/DocumentLibrary/Reports/2017_Traffic_Report.pdf |publisher=Seattle Department of Transportation |accessdate=August 9, 2018}}</ref>

[[File:Denny Way, Seattle.jpg|left|thumb|upright=3.0|W. Denny Way (orange), Denny Way (blue), E. Denny Way (green), and E. Denny Blaine Place (red)]]
{{-}}

==History==

The original 1852 survey for the [[Plat|town plat]] of Seattle began with a stake driven at what is now the west end of Denny Way.<ref>{{cite news |date=June 22, 1952 |title=First Platting of Seattle Done 100 Years Ago |page=6 |work=The Seattle Times}}</ref> It also formed the boundary of pioneer [[David Denny]]'s 1869 plat of "North Seattle", in what is now Lower Queen Anne.<ref name="QAHistory">{{cite web |last1=Lentz |first1=Florence K. |last2=Sheridan |first2=Mimi |date=October 2005 |title=Queen Anne Historic Context Statement |url=http://www.seattle.gov/neighborhoods/preservation/ContextQueenAnneStatement2005.pdf |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160714143658/http://www9.seattle.gov/neighborhoods/preservation/ContextQueenAnneStatement2005.pdf |archivedate=July 14, 2016 |format=PDF |publisher=Seattle Department of Neighborhoods |accessdate=August 9, 2018}}</ref>{{rp|7}} Denny initially named the road "Depot Street", as part of an unsuccessful attempt to build a major [[train station|train terminal]] at its western end.<ref>{{cite news |last=Conover |first=C. T. |date=April 11, 1960 |title=Seattle Street Names Give Insight on City's History |page=16 |work=The Seattle Times}}</ref> The city government completed construction of a [[sewage]] tunnel under Depot Street in 1894, serving as the main outflow for northern Seattle.<ref name="QAHistory"/> The street was renamed to Denny Way in 1895, as part of a city-wide name change to harmonize the names of grid-defining streets; other boundary streets to the east of downtown, including Decatur and Hawthorne avenues, were also merged into the new Denny Way.<ref>{{cite news |date=December 23, 1895 |title=New Street Names |page=3 |work=Seattle Post-Intelligencer |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/22661915/seattles_new_street_names_1895/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=August 9, 2018}}</ref>

The street originally ran across a section of [[Denny Hill]], which was [[Regrading in Seattle|regrade]]d by the city government in the 1910s and 1920s.<ref>{{cite web |last=Crowley |first=Walt |authorlink=Walt Crowley |date=May 10, 1999 |title=Seattle Neighborhoods: Belltown-Denny Regrade — Thumbnail History |url=http://www.historylink.org/File/1123 |work=[[HistoryLink]] |accessdate=August 22, 2018}}</ref> 

During excavation of Interstate 5 from 1962 to 1964, Denny Way was periodically closed or rerouted onto temporary roads or bridges built atop [[Fill dirt|fill]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Harvey |first=Barney |date=July 2, 1962 |title=Confusion? That's Name For Freeway |page=1 |work=The Seattle Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Barr |first=Robert A. |date=September 23, 1963 |title=Denny Way Overpass To Open Soon |page=1 |work=The Seattle Times}}</ref> The freeway overpass was opened to traffic on October 16, 1963, expanding the street to four lanes and adding several traffic signals.<ref>{{cite news |date=October 11, 1963 |title=Denny Overpass Opens Wednesday |page=35 |work=The Seattle Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=October 15, 1963 |title=Denny Way Bridge to Open Tomorrow |page=29 |work=The Seattle Times}}</ref>

A section of Denny Way between Broadway and Nagle Place was closed for the construction of the Capitol Hill light rail station and was redeveloped into a [[woonerf]]. It was renamed Barbara Bailey Way in 2019 to honor a local businesswoman and LGBTQ activist.<ref>{{cite news |date=July 3, 2019 |title=Coming soon: the corner of E Barbara Bailey Way and Broadway |url=https://www.capitolhillseattle.com/2019/07/coming-soon-the-corner-of-e-barbara-bailey-way-and-broadway/ |work=Capitol Hill Seattle |accessdate=August 7, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Robertson |first=Kipp |date=July 7, 2019 |title=Seattle renames stretch of Denny Way after 'early pioneer' for LGBTQ+ rights |url=https://www.king5.com/article/news/seattle-renames-stretch-of-denny-way-after-early-pioneer-for-lgbtq-rights/281-5127e361-9497-4b6f-b6d3-113287fb231e |publisher=KING 5 News |accessdate=August 7, 2019}}</ref>

==Buildings==

Notable structures on Denny Way include the [[Denny Substation]]; [[Cornish College of the Arts]]; the [[Seattle Center]] complex, site of the [[1962 World's Fair]]; and [[Denny Park]], Seattle's first public park. The park and the street are both named for [[David Denny]], one of the city's first settlers, who owned much of the land surrounding what is now Seattle Center.<ref>{{Historylink|title=Seattle establishes its first public park, Denny Park, on site of the city's first municipal cemetery on July 10, 1884.|author=Walt Crowley |date=March 23, 2005 |article=7287}}
</ref> Between Westlake Avenue and I-5, Denny Way is zoned for high-rise residential buildings and is expected to be redeveloped into a "[[street canyon]]" in the late 2010s and early 2020s.<ref>{{cite news |last=Bhatt |first=Sanjay |date=August 27, 2015 |title=Two more tall towers join parade along Denny Way |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/business/real-estate/two-more-tall-towers-join-parade-along-denny-way-2/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=August 9, 2018}}</ref>

==Transit service==

Denny Way is primarily served by [[King County Metro]] route 8, a major cross-town [[bus route]] that debuted in 1995.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Gupta |first1=Himanee |last2=Gonzales |first2=Neil |date=February 13, 1995 |title=Crosstown bus makes official debut: from one hill to another |page=B1 |url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/19950213/2104757/crosstown-bus-makes-official-debut---from-one-hill-to-another |work=The Seattle Times |access-date=August 9, 2018}}</ref> The bus route suffers from traffic congestion and schedule unreliability, leading to a 2016 plan to add [[bus lane]]s and queue jumps along part of Denny Way in South Lake Union.<ref>{{cite news |last=Lindblom |first=Mike |date=December 14, 2016 |title=Busy Denny Way will lose traffic lane for buses to speed up Route 8 |url=http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/transportation/relief-for-route-8-cars-take-back-seat-to-buses-in-denny-way-redo/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=August 9, 2018}}</ref> The bus lanes are scheduled to be added to Denny Way in late August 2018.<ref>{{cite news |last=Nelson |first=LeAnne |date=August 24, 2018 |title=Making The 8 Less L8! |url=http://onthemove.seattle.gov/2018/08/24/making-the-8-less-l8-today-8-28/ |work=On the Move Blog |publisher=Seattle Department of Transportation |accessdate=August 24, 2018}}</ref>

The route crosses two [[Link light rail]] stations on north–south lines: [[Capitol Hill station]] at Broadway, opened in 2016,<ref name="Times-2016LR"/> and a future light rail station at [[Westlake Avenue]] that is planned to open in 2035.<ref>{{cite news |last=Lindblom |first=Mike |date=March 25, 2018 |title=Sound Transit seeks two light-rail stations in South Lake Union, only five blocks apart |page=B1 |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/transportation/sound-transit-seeks-two-light-rail-stations-in-south-lake-union-but-at-what-cost/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=August 23, 2018}}</ref> Transit advocates have also considered Denny Way as a potential cross-town light rail corridor,<ref>{{cite news |last=Groover |first=Heidi |date=December 2, 2015 |title=Seattle Subway's Case for "Going Big" on the Light Rail Measure We'll Be Voting on Next Year |url=https://www.thestranger.com/blogs/slog/2015/12/02/23210086/seattle-subways-case-for-going-big-on-the-light-rail-measure-that-will-be-on-next-years-ballot |work=The Stranger |accessdate=August 23, 2018}}</ref> which was not considered in the [[Sound Transit 3]] plan.<ref>{{cite news |last=Kelety |first=Josh |date=March 25, 2016 |title=Sound Transit 3: Big, long, Ballard by 2038 |url=http://www.capitolhillseattle.com/2016/03/sound-transit-3-big-long-ballard-by-2038/ |work=Capitol Hill Seattle Blog |accessdate=August 23, 2018}}</ref>

In the 2010s, transit advocates also suggested that Denny Way could be served by an [[aerial tramway]] system, with stops between the [[Olympic Sculpture Park]] and Capitol Hill station.<ref>{{cite news |last=Lindblom |first=Mike |date=February 19, 2013 |title=Gondolas could help Seattle rise above traffic mess, some say |page=A1 |url=http://old.seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2020384060_congestiongondolaxml.html |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=August 23, 2018}}</ref>

==Major intersections==
{{WAinttop|county=King|location=Seattle|length_ref=<ref name="google"/>}}
{{WAint
|mile=0.0
|road=Western Avenue
|notes=
}}
{{WAint
|mile=0.6
|road={{jct|state=WA|SR|99|name1=Aurora Avenue}}
|type=incomplete
|notes=Northbound exit and southbound entrance
}}
{{WAint
|mile=0.9
|road=[[Westlake Avenue]]
|notes=
}}
{{WAint
|mile=1.3
|road={{jct|state=WA|I|5|road1=Minor Avenue}}
|type=incomplete
|notes=Southbound exit and entrance only
}}
{{WAint
|mile=1.7
|road=[[Broadway (Seattle)|Broadway]]
|notes=
}}
{{WAint
|mile=2.6
|road=[[Madison Street (Seattle)|Madison Street]], 22nd Avenue
|notes=
}}
{{jctgap|text=Gap in street}}
{{WAint
|mile=2.6
|road=23rd Avenue
|notes=
}}
{{WAint
|mile=2.9
|road=[[Martin Luther King Jr. Way (Seattle)|Martin Luther King Jr. Way]]
|notes=
}}
{{WAint
|mile=3.5
|road=Madrona Place, 38th Avenue
|notes=Continues east as Madrona Drive towards [[Madrona Park (Seattle)|Madrona Park]]
}}
{{jctbtm|keys=incomplete}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Attached KML|display=inline,title}}
*{{Commons category inline|Denny Way, Seattle}}

{{Capitol Hill, Seattle}}
{{South Lake Union, Seattle}}
{{Streets in Seattle}}

[[Category:Capitol Hill, Seattle]]
[[Category:South Lake Union, Seattle]]
[[Category:Streets in Seattle]]