It’s time to reconnect our city. As the waterfront viaduct is torn down before our eyes, we’re turning attention to the central freeway that has marred vital urban neighborhoods for half a century. The opportunities are endless, and with your help we can turn Seattle’s next civic vision into reality. Join the campaign today.

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Current Status:

Feasibility Study Ongoing The Seattle Office of Planning and Community Development (OPCD) and its consultant team has been working on the I-5 lid feasibility study since April 2019. Lid I-5 has been participating as part of the project’s advisory committee. COVID-19 has caused a delay in study release, which is now expected to occur by the end of 2020. For more information or questions, please visit the project’s official City website.

About the Campaign

Lid I-5 is a grassroots effort run by working people who are volunteering our time. Why do we do it? We believe in building a stronger city for people and creating a more livable, equitable, and sustainable Seattle. While this is a citywide effort, we are currently focused on the challenges and opportunities in the Center City.

A Need for Public Land

According to OPCD data, Downtown, Capitol Hill, and First Hill are 3.5% of Seattle’s land area but are absorbing 29% of population growth, and at the same time are running out of land. Lidding I-5 is likely the only opportunity to catch up on much-needed affordable housing sites, public open space, civic facilities like schools and community centers, and other public and private infrastructure.

Environmental Benefits

The I-5 freeway is a major environmental issue, with significant noise, air pollution, and visual impacts to thousands of people who live and work nearby and walk across it every day. Where topography allows lids to be built, they reduce these impacts. Lids will also enable more people to live, work, shop, and play in walkable urban neighborhoods and drive less, contributing to Seattle’s 2050 carbon neutrality goal.

Economic Advantage

We know freeway lids are possible – they’ve been done dozens of times before across the country (see our map here). Based on our review of these projects, it is likely more economical to lid the freeway than purchase land in Downtown. There may be a value capture opportunity that facilitates creative financing, private-public partnerships, or enables a new revenue source for local governments.

WSDOT is Thinking About I-5

The I-5 Systems Partnership is a high-level planning discussion among public agencies about the future of the corridor between Chehalis and Marysville. As the freeway ages past 50 years and remains seismically vulnerable, it is possible the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) will decide to study major rehabilitation on the Seattle section. Seattle should be ready with a community plan before any major freeway work so public benefits can be coordinated and leveraged.

Learn more about the campaign by exploring the website, and check out our new video below.