Following his Thursday discussion of a revamped I-5 corridor on the east bank of the Willamette with the Central Eastside Industrial Council, Mayor Sam Adams has released a draft of how he’d like to see the freeway in the future. In short, he doesn’t.

The plan is all for keeping I-5 in its current location, as it’s a vital thoroughfare through the city, but pushing it underground. Adams has two reasons for this progressive plan: 1) the Rose Quarter has a dangerous interstate interchange and surrounding streets and 2) he’s against uprooting and moving I-5 entirely, drawing away from local buisnesses that depend on the corridor.

This would be a huge project, relying on an equally huge pot of money. However, Adams says, this initial draft planning outline does not include or evaluate the cost or benefits of the project. It’ll be interesting to see where he (or the future mayor, if they’re on board) would fish out the funds.

Here’s a snapshot of the proposed sub-ground freeway system (in light blue):

Picture_5.png

For the full PDF, go here.

Clearly, this is the very first step in decades of work to see this project through. Adams concluded his press release on the draft with that idea in mind:

While it would be decades before such wholesale freeway replacement could occur, the future that the new concept plan portrays is undeniably appealing. Acres of downtown land are liberated, and the Willamette’s east bank is re-connected to the city. Freeway lands become available for development and public open space. Local streets are re-knit across I-5, views to the river are exposed, and structures long in the shadow of the freeway see sunshine (and redevelopment opportunity) again.

Alex Zielinski is a former News Editor for the Portland Mercury. She's here to tell stories about economic inequities, cops, civil rights, and weird city politics that you should probably be paying attention...

17 replies on “Mayor Wants I-5 Underground”

  1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Dig

    Boston did this. They first proposed it in the 1970s. Ground breaking was 1991. It was completed in 2007 at the cost of $14.6 Billion and four lives.

    This would be great if we could “magic wand” it into place. The end result of more open streets and available land for development and public use would be great. I’m not sure where we’d get the cash though and I’m not sure I could handle constant construction on the east side of the river for 15 years.

    Just saying.

  2. I lived in Boston during the debacle that was their Big Dig project, which similarly put a major highway underground. It took years to finish and had ever changing annoying traffic detours that entire time, it went billions of dollars over budget, and even killed some drivers when part of the tunnel collapsed. Suffice to say, it would suck to see that happen in Portland.

    Sure, more access to the east bank would be lovely, but would we lose the burgeoning southeast industrial area during this construction, only to have it taken over by more condo development?

  5. Just shut your mouth, Sam Adams. Every time you open it, some expensive and/or useless project comes out of it.

    Echoing previous commenters about how we do not want a Big Dig in Portland – if you think the CRC is over budget, just take a gander at the Big Dig…

  9. The Big Dig was 3.5 miles long, while burying this section of I-5 would be, what – less than one mile?

    The Big Dig was about improving life for motorists. This proposal is about improving neighborhoods, business development, and quality of life. It’s a great idea.

  10. So reading through the PDF, the biggest changes would be:

    – I-5 would go underground near Vancouver/Williams
    – They’d rebuild Water Ave that’d stretch from the Rose Quarter to where it currently ends near Omsi (with a new I-5 exit from the Marquam bridge)
    – (I may be misreading this next part) but it looks like the Morrison bridge loses it’s northbound I-5 entrance
    – BUT Stark St gains a southbound I-5 entrance.

    Anything else? Seems CRAAZY expensive. But it is a ton of wasted space on the east side…

  11. What a great project to propose when you’ve got 9 MONTHS LEFT IN OFFICE.

    Seems rather obvious that Sam is proposing projects which he thinks will get him consulting jobs after his term, and hence, his career in elected office is over. Everything he does at this point needs to be viewed through that prism.

  12. I think this is a great – though expensive – idea.
    I don’t think the idea comes from Sam though – this idea has been out there for at least 20 years, usually focusing on the west side 405.

  13. figures, Sammy’s so set on being progressive he wants to force cars drivers undergroind so all the bicyclists can have the surface.

  15. You all know that Seattle broke ground last year on their waterfront-choking monstrosity that is the viaduct? Wikipedia tells me boring a 2-mile tunnel there is budgeted at $4.25 Billion.

    I love all the people in Portland that proclaim we are lame while breathlessly squashing any idea that might keep us on the (national) map. (See biogas, PDX Sustainability Center.)

    Bone up Portland and keep making this a better place.

  16. You mean the Portland that’s anticipating cutting 8% from school and firefighting budgets but can still afford to waste money on stormtroopers to throw homeless people out of a park?

    Before Portland can indulge in crazy projects that “might keep us on the national map”, we first need the money to spend on them – and while there are big piles of it around for the taking, Portland’s government is busy pretending that it can’t find them so as not to offend the business interests that are currently nesting on them.

  17. Sam needs to make clear this project, like the Rose Quarter redevelopment, will increase high school graduation and college attainment rates.

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