Lid I-5 campaign open house will look at a downtown housing and trail concept

One lid concept by Parsons Brinkerhoff and the Burrard Group, shared by the Lid I-5 event page.

I-5 is a giant barrier between downtown and our city's densest neighborhoods, Capitol Hill and First Hill. Land is so immensely valuable in this area that building a top over I-5 (essentially a giant bridge that feels like city land) is an effective way to create new space for affordable housing, park space and other public uses.

This includes the possibility of continuous biking and walking connections on top of I-5.

The full Lid I-5 vision is likely going to require a long-term effort because this will be a massive project. But there are potential short-term wins within reach, including an effort to get a feasibility study funded at least in part by the Convention Center public benefits package. The City of Seattle has offered to take the lead on the effort, Lid I-5 says.

You can get plugged in and check out some of the latest concepts for the lid at an open house 6-8 p.m. today (Tuesday) at the Cloud Room on Capitol Hill.

Details from the event page:

Join the movement to reconnect neighborhoods over Interstate 5 with parks, housing, complete streets, and more! Councilmember Sally Bagshaw will join us to offer brief remarks on why she supports this grassroots campaign.

The Lid I-5 Steering Committee has achieved major progress in recent months and is excited to share the latest updates with our coalition partners and neighbors. Partial funding has been identified for a crucial Feasibility Study and the City of Seattle has offered to take the lead, but work remains to be done and community input is critical.

We'll also have presentations from the artists behind the Equity Line, "a linear series of housing developments and urban trail as a lid over parts of Interstate 5 in downtown and as new construction in parts of the Jungle", and NERO Commons, a concept for an urban village lid at the future NE 130th Street light rail station.

Learn more about the lid concept, why the time to plan is now, and how you can help Seattle become a more connected, sustainable, and equitable city.

The event is an open house format with a presentation starting at 6:30 PM.

The Cloud Room offers a cash bar and light refreshments. Special accommodations are required for anyone under the age of 21 - if this applies to you please send us a private message.