by Matt Baume
•
Jun 1, 2021 at 12:00 pm
Seattle needs its hole filled. Lid I-5
Sponsored
And congratulations to us, the residents of Seattle, for having somehow managed to put up with I-5 for as long as we have, even though it’s literally killing us.
Seattle’s I-5 ditch was one of fifteen American urban freeways that CNU identified as needing an overhaul — either getting a complete makeover, or else getting rid of them altogether and rebuilding the communities that were destroyed when federal planners bulldozed the once-healthy neighborhoods in the 1950s.
Rather than killing I-5 completely, CNU is calling for a lid, covering the trench with housing and parks and businesses. Lidding the freeway could generate billions in economic activity and provide space for as many as 10 new public parks and 500 units of affordable housing, according to a 2020 study by the city.