A $1.5 million process is underway to study the feasibility of a new lid over I-5 connecting downtown to Capitol Hill somewhere between Denny Way and Madison and you can get a look for yourself at the areas involved and how they might change in the future.
The city announced that a consultant team led by global engineering firm WSP has been selected to run the $1.5 million study of the technical feasibility of building a lid with possible green spaces and public parks, schools, and affordable housing developments.
It will take quite an army just to study the idea. The WSP team also includes local and national firms of Shiels Obletz Johnsen, OJB Landscape Architecture, Magnusson Klemencic Associates, BergerABAM, Rule Seven, Framework, HR&A Advisors, and Enviroissues.
The University of Washington will also conduct a real estate analysis of the economics and value a lid might have for private development that could also consider how funds generated by the new buildings might offset the costs of building the lid.
A citizen-led effort to put a lid over I-5, and develop ideas for what to do with the new real estate has taken shape over past years.
The Lid I-5 group that has been advocating for the new lid and helping to push the idea from an urbanist dream into City Hall’s budget is holding a March 9th walk to tour the area and view “the dreadful freeway canyon firsthand” —
Join us rain or shine. Comfortable shoes and weather-appropriate clothing are encouraged. This walk is approximately 1.25 miles and includes staircases and moderate hillclimbs. This tour is free but our work is not. Donations of $10 or more are encouraged to support our costs for community events, outreach materials, and professional consulting. Your contribution will sustain our efforts for the years to come!
“Whether you’re an ardent supporter, a newcomer, or a skeptic, you’ll benefit from learning more about Seattle’s next civic endeavor,” they write.
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WSP does excellent work. I have no doubt they are the right people to explore this interesting opportunity.
So we can’t afford to build the lid as planned over 520 in Montlake, but we can spend $1.5m planning on building a much more complex / impossible lid over 8 lanes of traffic most of which is on stilts running along a cliff edge. Perhaps maybe 20 years of night time piling work for the entire downtown / cap hill area to get this done coupled with a huge increase in property tax to fund it ? Go for it !