Photo credit Alex Garland Photography

Last week we heard from three fantastic guest speakers in support of the campaign and the 2019 feasibility study.

Thatcher Bailey, President and CEO of Seattle Parks Foundation:

"This is a project that is at scale...and it allows us to think about not the city that we live in [now] but the city we want to live in, the city we can be. It's the project that nobody doesn't want to have happen."

"I remember when the freeway was built, and really, that was insane. That was a crazy ripping apart of the city, and covering this freeway is not even close to the scale of the project it was to make the freeway happen in the first place...this freeway that tore the city in half can also be the thing that brings us all together."

Sam Assefa, Director of Planning and Community Development, whose department will lead the 2019 lid feasibility study:

"One of the most important things, especially in a city that is growing so fast, and where there is significant need for public spaces in Downtown and most other areas, we have to be bold and think really big. I know it's very difficult at times, but it's so inspiring to see a lot of the ideas the teams presented. Incredible, brilliant ideas. They're outside the box, some of them, but also realistic. And it's not just about creating public space, a lot of the ideas are about...built environments that not only help the spaces but also bring some reality to it. You have to think about the economics of it as well."

"Seattle is changing in a dramatic way. Downtown is taking a significant burden of that growth...so it is the big urban place, the big urban room, of the city. And ideas like this are critical".

Sally Bagshaw, Seattle Council District 7 and early champion of the Lid I-5 campaign:

"These are the most inspiring images and this is what keeps us going. It's what brings us together as a city. It's what bring us together to create these wonderful ideas...and they're going to get better as we begin to work with them."

"And you know our grandparents who designed this weren't evil. They were responding to a different problem. They wanted to move cars and freight, they wanted to move fast. Well, we've got some different problems now we want to solve...We know we can do it because we already have, this is just the next phase."


Photo credit Alex Garland Photography


Photo credit Alex Garland Photography
 

Excited about making the Lid I-5 vision a reality? Good news: you can attend another event on October 18 to make the pitch and support the campaign. The City is hosting a public open house on the Imagine Greater Downtown initiative, which is identifying several "big ideas" for central Seattle's streets and public spaces. We hear lidding I-5 is a popular option, but we need your support to reinforce it!

Attend the open house on Thursday, October 18, 5:30 PM at Seattle City Hall. You can also drop a pin on the virtual project map with your idea or email the project team at info@imaginegreaterdowntown.org.

Best regards,

Lid I-5 Steering Committee