Lid I-5 Awarded $2 Million Federal Grant for Planning

Posted on by Scott Bonjukian

Lid I-5 Awarded $2 Million Federal Grant for Planning

This week the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) announced a $2 million grant award for the City of Seattle to continue planning and community engagement for lidding I-5 in greater Downtown. This is historic milestone for the Lid I-5 project and adds to a string of recent funding and policy victories.

Celebrate with us at Stoup Capitol Hill on Friday, March 22, 6:00 PM. All ages are welcome – bring your own food or enjoy the MexiCuban food truck.

THE PEOPLE WHO GOT US HERE

We thank the Seattle Office of Planning and Community Development (OPCD), particularly Rico Quirindongo and Lyle Bicknell, for their steadfast support of the vision for reconnecting communities and for inviting us to develop all application materials. Thanks to USDOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg and his team for determining this cause is a worthy effort. The application was also supported by Senator Patty Murray and Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal. Secretary Roger Millar of the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) and many state legislators had a hand in support or providing matching dollars, including Senators Jamie Pedersen, Markos Liias, Joe Nguyễn, Rebecca Saldaña, and Representatives Nicole Macri and Liz Berry. We also appreciate the leadership of current Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell and past Councilmember Andrew Lewis, without whose support in Resolution 32100 and other efforts the application would have not been possible.

You can read our application narrative and see the community letters of support, including letters from new coalition members as varied as the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, Bellwether Housing, REI, Elektra Condominiums, the Seattle/King County Building and Construction Trades Council, the Port of Seattle, and Seattle YIMBY. 

WHAT THE FUNDING MEANS

The funding goes to the City and the Lid I-5 team will have an oversight role as work starts in the coming months. Over the next several years this funding will help Seattle:

  • Expand the 2020 feasibility study and assess lidding as far south as Main Street to reconnect Chinatown-International District with Yesler Terrace, and north two blocks to Thomas Street.
  • Update the original 2020 feasibility study assumptions and test cases, accounting for post-pandemic shifts in the economy, transportation planning, private development activity, and growing needs for affordable housing.
  • Conduct transportation planning for changes to freeway ramps and the local street grid, perform other necessary technical studies, and begin scoping a master plan and early environmental review.
  • Convene a Community Advisory Board, develop community-based project leadership, expand the coalition, and establish anti-displacement policies ahead of lid construction.

NEXT STEPS

The work is well-timed, helping Seattle collaborate with WSDOT on multiple I-5 studies (which we also helped secure funding for). These include an analysis of reconfiguring freeway ramps in Downtown and the U District, assessing seismic vulnerability of I-5 across the city, and starting a statewide I-5 master plan. The work also comes at a critical juncture as Seattle prepares new city plans to accommodate growth and infrastructure investments, and as voters consider renewing the city’s transportation funding levy. Opportunities for grassroots action on all of these initiatives are coming soon.

Seattle is among a diverse cohort that received $3.3 billion in awards from the Reconnecting Communities Pilot and Neighborhood Access and Equity discretionary grant programs. See the USDOT website and interactive map for the full list of 2024 planning and construction projects. Other awards for freeway lid planning went to Wilmington, Pittsburgh, Detroit, two projects in Los Angeles, and San Diego (where we presented in December). Also, nearly a billion dollars are going to freeway lid construction in Portland, Austin, Philadelphia, and Atlanta.

Every step in planning moves the Lid I-5 project towards a “shovel ready” status that unlocks similar big funding opportunities in the years ahead. Our team is persevering in this long-term effort.

GET INVOLVED

In the meantime, the coming days will bring more news and ways for you to get involved. For starters, join us for a happy hour at Stoup Capitol Hill on March 22 at 6:00 PM. Thanks again for being part of our community – and consider joining our coalition, spreading the word, and making a donation to keep fueling this people-powered movement for a more connected, sustainable, and equitable Seattle. Our door is open at mail@lidi5.org.