Councilmember Nelson abstained, citing cost worries On Tuesday, the Seattle City Council passed a resolution supporting the development of freeway lids in the city. Passage of Resolution 32100 marks an important moment in the growing movement to reconnect neighborhoods that have been divided by freeways in Seattle. It also arrives
The Urbanist is excited to announce our first tours of the season. The inaugural tour is 10am Saturday, May 27th with Lid I-5, a group dedicated to advocating for freeway lids over I-5 in Seattle in order to reduce the negative impacts of the car-choked freeway and create space for
In this week’s episode, Ray Dubicki tracks the last few weeks of Seattle City Council meetings to listen in as a fairly small amendment is made to the city’s comprehensive plan. It takes a lot of talking and hearings to get a preference for highway lids written into
Highway Lids, Design Review Waivers for Affordable Housing, Continuing Streateries, and Easing Food Truck Restrictions In its final full meeting of 2022, the Seattle City Council passed a series of measures that could go far in making the city more habitable, affordable, and lively. Councilmember Dan Strauss (District 6) received
At the junction of SR 520 and Montlake Boulevard in Seattle, construction crews are busy at work laying the foundation for the Montlake lid, the first roof built over a freeway in Seattle since the completion of the I-90 lid in the 1990s. When completed, the Montlake lid will bring
Findings strengthen case for funding work that could lead to lidding segments of the freeway. In the event of an earthquake, do you know what Seattle roadway is named as the city’s seismic lifeline? If you guessed Interstate 5 (I-5) the freeway that cuts straight through the heart of
This article was updated on 10/26/2021 to reflect that it was the U District Community Council, not the U District Partnership, that submitted a letter to the City of Seattle. The segment of NE 45th Street near Interstate 5 in Seattle does not provide a safe or comfortable
A Seattle stretch of I-5 is one of the “Freeways Without Futures” listed in seventh annual report from the Congress for New Urbanism (CNU), which profiles 15 freeways across the nation identified as serial offenders ripe for removal or reinvention. Recent progress made by the Lid I-5 campaign played a
Lid I-5 proponents joined for January meetup to discuss results of a recent study and objectives for an I-5 lid.
The City of Seattle may have quietly released its Lid I-5 feasibility report late last year, but the results trumpet the benefits of lidding freeways in urban environments. Inspired by advocacy from Lid I-5 Seattle and bolstered by the $1.5 million lined up through the public benefits package from
So much of 2020 was about just holding on, so let’s start 2021 with a big, bold idea like healing the giant rift in out city and covering the I-5 freeway that cuts it in two! If that sound interesting to you, then please join us at our January
Seattle Parks and Recreation and the Freeway Park Association began their open house and survey this week for the planned Freeway Park improvements. This open house follows up and reflects the results of a previous public outreach phase from this past October. The park consists of a half dozen or
Complete the survey by May 17th and share your feedback on a I-5 freeway lid proposed between Wallingford and the University District. It may seem unimaginable now, but just over 63 years ago, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) established a special office to acquire the land that would
Earlier this year the city published a feasibility study to put a lid above I-5 to reconnect Downtown and First Hill, two neighborhoods divided by the freeway. It would add both housing and a park all above the freeway trench, but it should also incorporate high-speed rail. In fact, the
An important milestone in the Lid I-5 technical feasibility study has been reached. Data collected by engineering firm WSP indicates that it is structurally possible construct a freeway lid over Interstate 5 (I-5) in Downtown Seattle within all four of the sub-areas studied, which extend from Madison Street to Denny
The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) is seeking community feedback through its SR-520 Online Open House. A series of community workshops will also run through Fall of 2019. As project crews prepare to break ground this summer on the Montlake Project elements of Rest of the West, the continuation
Less than a year after the opening of the SR-99 tunnel, tunnel mania seems to be spreading across Seattle. An unfunded billion dollar price tag has not scared off supporters of deluxe tunnel options for Sound Transit 3 alignments in both West Seattle and Ballard. Seattle Subway’s newly released
A visit from a Philadelphia planner with expertise on freeway lids offers insights for how to reconnect Seattle. Last week the Downtown Seattle Association (DSA) invited Karen Thompson, Director of Planning at the Delaware River Waterfront Corporation (DRWC), to participate in a panel discussion, From a Freeway to Future Possibilities:
In this short video, several public space experts and community leaders explain why the campaign to lid I-5 is an important opportunity for Seattle and why you should get involved.
The City of Seattle is seeking a team of “highly experienced” consultants to undertake a year-long feasibility study. 2018 has been a big year for freeway mitigation projects in Washington State. From the construction of the state’s first freeway overpass for wildlife on I-90 east of Snolqualmie Pass, to
On November 2nd, Seattle City Councilmember Mike O’Brien became the latest politician to formally endorse the campaign to build a freeway lid over Interstate 5 in central Seattle. Joining the ranks of fellow councilmembers Sally Bagshaw, Teresa Mosqueda, and Rob Johnson, as well as State Representatives Nicole Macri and
After months of grassroots effort and volunteer engagement, The Central Hills Triangle Collaborative (CHTC) will present its conceptual designs for lidding I-5 in central Seattle tonight (October 3) at 5:30 PM, at Melrose Market Studios. The event is free and open to the public. RSVP here. The lid designs
An important part of my advocacy for lidding Interstate 5 includes letting folks know about successful lid projects around the country. Lid I-5’s co-chair Scott Bonjukian often refers to Dallas’s Klyde Warren Park (KWP) as the gold standard of freeway lid parks. After a brief visit this past
As the region prepares for Sound Transit 2 (ST2) investments to come online, several cities are increasing zoning capacity near future light rail stations. In some cases, this wasn’t a hard sell since many light rail stations are going in along freeways where land has typically been dedicated to
Lid I-5 hosted a charrette on September 16th dedicated to sketching out a design for a freeway lid on the stretch of Interstate 5 that separates Wallingford and the University District. Breaking into five teams, participants brainstormed and drew up designs to realize that freeway lid. The results demonstrated how
Lid I-5 has been awarded a $48,000 grant from the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods to further our campaign of reconnecting communities divided by Interstate 5. With this funding we will deliver to the community visionary urban designs that captivate the imagination, address some of the city’s most pressing
One of the biggest questions swirling around the new $1.6 billion expansion of the Washington State Convention center–apart from whether it will actually get used, and who benefits from it–is how much the developer, Pine Street Group, will have to compensate the citizens of Seattle in exchange
Have you been looking for a way to get directly involved with the Lid I-5 movement? Now is your chance! Join us on Saturday, September 16, for a design charrette focused on the segment of Interstate 5 dividing Wallingford and the University District. At this free public event we’ll
While we are a big proponent of lidding I-5 to cut off the sights and sounds of freeway traffic (or even removing it) and creating new public land out of a thin air, it’s a big idea that will take sustained effort to realize. Fortunately, there also are a
At the first public benefits hearing of the Washington State Convention Center (WSCC) Addition, Seattle Design Commissioners danced around a tough truth: planning good public spaces around freeway trenches is difficult. A clear goal of the Community Package Coalition–a collective of nine community groups–is focused on improving bicycle
Monday was quite the ordeal. Around 10am a propane truck got into a collision and rolled over blocking an interchange between I-90 and I-5 near Downtown. Propane being highly flammable, authorities had to shut down I-90 and I-5 in case the already heinous crash turned into a fireball. The propane
Yesterday both the City of Seattle and Community Package Coalition told the planners of the Washington State Convention Center (WSCC) Addition that the public benefit package was too small for the 1.5 million square foot project that is still holding out hope to break ground this year. The WSCC
The Washington State Convention Center (WSCC) expansion is a massive undertaking that will reshape four city blocks in Seattle’s urban core. We, a coalition of community organizations serving adjacent neighborhoods, believe the project’s size, central location, public ownership, and extensive request for public right-of-way compels the WSCC to
The future of the grassroots effort to lid Interstate 5 in Seattle depends on your support at a critical event next month. On December 7, 5:00 – 7:00 PM, the Washington State Convention Center (WSCC) will host an open house showcasing ideas for the public benefit package offered by
Seattle’s Interstate 5 is in rough shape. Maintenance has been deferred so long that a full rebuild is likely necessary, as former Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) secretary Douglas MacDonald detailed in this article. Momentum is building to lid I-5 in Downtown Seattle to mitigate the impact of
Have you been waiting for a way to positively support the Lid I-5 community effort? Now is the time! The Seattle City Council is nearing final approval of the long-awaited update to Seattle’s Comprehensive Plan. This document is used to guide policy and recommend growth strategies over a 20-year
Late last month, our own Scott Bonjukian participated in Capitol Hill Housing’s annual community forum, called Gearshift 2016, to present the concept of freeway lids over Interstate 5. What started out for Scott as just a college project, snowballed into a four-part series on why Seattle should lid I-5
Last Saturday a diverse mix of Seattle residents, designers, and community leaders converged on the 12th Avenue Arts building to imagine lidding Interstate 5. At least 75 people packed a conference room all morning and gathered around tables full of maps and trace paper to hash out ideas for how
The Lid I-5 campaign is kicking into high gear with its first major public event scheduled for May 7 at Capitol Hill Housing. The event is open to the public, and people are encouraged to reach out to friends and neighbors to form design teams beforehand. Teams will arrive at
Capitol Hill Seattle Blog recently covered architect Christopher Patano’s plan to put a “lid” on I-5 through a two-mile segment, alongside First Hill and Capitol Hill to create a linear park. It’s an exciting idea. Obviously, it would be very expensive and require a huge political lift. But
In yesterday’s article, I went over some of the characteristics of I-5 in Downtown Seattle and offered some temporary solutions for mitigating the effects of the freeway. In this final installment, I will summarize my recommendations for each phase, propose a number of themes, and provide information on how
Yesterday’s article went over cost estimates and offered three freeway lid case studies across. In this third piece on lidding I-5, I will summarize a site analysis for Downtown Seattle and suggest interim solutions that could be used to build support for expansions of lids on I-5. Site Analysis
Yesterday, I covered the need for lid parks in Downtown Seattle and what they should be used for. In this article, I look at (very rough) cost estimates for lids based on existing and proposed projects across the United States. From those projects, I select handful to study in-depth and
Amid Seattle’s rapidly growing inner neighborhoods remains the urban scar of I-5, a massive concrete and steel ribbon that is the lasting legacy of 20th century transportation engineers. It helps move thousands of people and tons of freight every day through the biggest city in the Pacific Northwest, but