We have a repeat winner of Seattle’s worst intersection, and it’s a doozy. Denny and Stewart beat out 18 other nominees this year to be voted as Seattle’s worst intersection by readers of The Urbanist.
The worst intersection in Seattle competition brings out the very best of the worst by inviting readers to nominate and vote for those crossroads that impede commutes and frustrate people on foot, riding bikes, or riding the bus.
This year’s competition had seven nominees from South Lake Union or Denny Triangle—so many that we added a runoff round this year to pare down the options.
Of the seven times that we’ve done this poll, an intersection with Denny Way has now won four times. Denny & Stewart was the worst intersection in Seattle just two years ago.
Why it’s the worst
Denny and Stewart may be the busiest Denny intersection, having to accommodate drivers getting off I-5 and going south on I-5, buses coming off the freeway to drop commuters downtown, and people walking along a busy route between Capitol Hill and South Lake Union.
The intersection fails everyone. Drivers can wait upwards of 30 minutes to pass through this intersection, and often block the crosswalk on the way through. People on foot (and sometimes other drivers) have to meander around those cars. And only the boldest cyclists pass through.
Riders waiting for Route 8 buses at the southwest corner of Denny and Stewart get a front-row seat to the madness, and all the exhaust.
People on foot should avoid the northeast corner of the intersection. You can’t get up to Capitol Hill from here anyway, since there’s no sidewalk on that side of the bridge, and there’s barely anywhere to stand.
Denny & Stewart beat out the other finalist, NE 40th St, NE 40th St, and 7th Ave NE, with 53% of the vote. The NE Seattle intersection may be the height of ridiculousness in Seattle transportation, but the dangerous Denny & Stewart is the height of negligence. While 40th, 40th, and 7th is confusing and chaotic, Denny and Stewart is downright dangerous. In fact, it was named the most dangerous intersection in Seattle, all the way back in 1971.
