Great food, interesting shops, fun attractions and picturesque views. If those aren’t good enough reasons to visit Seattle’s waterfront on Mother’s Day, here’s one more – you can park there for free.

The Washington State Department of Transportation and the city of Seattle are teaming up with several waterfront businesses, restaurants and parking operators to offer up to four hours of free parking between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. on Mother’s Day, May 13. The promotion is one of several steps WSDOT and the Seattle Department of Transportation are taking to offset lost on-street parking due to construction of the State Route 99 tunnel and other work along the waterfront.

“The waterfront is open for business during construction and there’s plenty of parking to be found,” said Downtown Seattle Association President and CEO Kate Joncas. “Treat your mom to a cruise on Elliott Bay, explore the Seattle Aquarium or enjoy a relaxing brunch – it’s a great time to visit.”

Here’s how visitors can take advantage of the more than 1,100 free parking spaces available on Mother’s Day:

• Park at one of five participating parking facilities near the waterfront.
• Dine at a participating restaurant or visit a participating business.
• Request a validated parking ticket from your server or at a designated location by showing your receipt.
• Show your validated parking ticket to the attendant at one of the participating parking facilities to receive up to four hours of free parking.

Participating businesses include Alaskan Sourdough Bakery, Argosy Cruises, The Crab Pot Restaurant & Bar, Elliott’s Oyster House, Fisherman’s Restaurant & Bar, Ivar’s Acres of Clams, Ivar’s Pier 54 Fish Bar, Red Robin, The Salmon Cooker and Seattle Aquarium.

Parking facilities accepting the validations include Commuter Centre Garage (809 Western Ave.), Hillclimb Garage (1422 Western Ave.), Pike Place Market Garage (1531 Western Ave.), Watermark Tower Garage (1108 Western Ave.) and the Western & Seneca parking lot (1101 Western Ave.).

For more information about the Mother’s Day parking promotion, visit www.downtownseattle.com/ThingsToDo/parkingpromo.

Future parking improvements on the waterfront

The Mother’s Day promotion is part of a larger effort to help waterfront businesses through SR 99 tunnel construction. Construction crews are currently building more than 60 temporary on-street parking spaces on Alaskan Way between Spring and Pike streets. The new spaces are scheduled to open on May 12.

“Tunnel construction has changed where people park when they visit the waterfront,” said Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement Program Administrator Linea Laird. “We’re doing everything we can to maximize parking and encourage people to visit neighborhoods near construction.”

Since August 2011, WSDOT and SDOT have been working to identify and implement strategies to mitigate for parking losses in Pioneer Square and on the waterfront. A plan to address the impacts of construction on short-term parking in these neighborhoods will be finalized in June.

For more information on the Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement program, visit www.alaskanwayviaduct.org.