Never-built highways of the Northwest

[US 89]

k/h? We don't talk about 40 m/h.

I'm sure some of the Vision Zero anti-car new urbanists would if you gave them a chance.

[Bruce]

A good map of the North Seattle/North Eastside plans of the late 1960s, found in a report on the Kenmore-Swamp Creek Freeway (which was also never built).

[Bruce]

And from Portland: the 1964 plan for I-205, which would have been closer to the city and cut through Lake Oswego (who strongly opposed it).



Source: The Oregonian, June 11, 1964

[Alps]

And from Portland: the 1964 plan for I-205, which would have been closer to the city and cut through Lake Oswego (who strongly opposed it).

Looks like that tied directly into the end of OR 217?

[Bruce]

And from Portland: the 1964 plan for I-205, which would have been closer to the city and cut through Lake Oswego (who strongly opposed it).

Looks like that tied directly into the end of OR 217?

Not quite. The southern terminus would have been at where I-5 crosses under Bonita Road, just south of the OR 217 ramps.

[Bickendan]

Ah, the Laurelhurst Freeway alignment.

[Bruce]

Another find: a 1962 Washington study looking at a road along the Pacific coastline from Neah Bay on the Makah Reservation to Ruby Beach, basically destroying a good chunk of the shoreline. But heck, we gotta be able to drive to the westernmost point on the continental US!

[stevashe]

But heck, we gotta be able to drive to the westernmost point on the continental US!

And yet the map clearly shows you could already do that with what was then SSH 9-A, the greedy road builders just wanted a second route!

[jakeroot]

I think Ocean shores is a pretty good example of why such a road was totally unnecessary: the Washington coast just isn't anywhere near as nice as the Oregon and California coasts. It's better just to leave it as we found it.

[Bruce]

But heck, we gotta be able to drive to the westernmost point on the continental US!

And yet the map clearly shows you could already do that with what was then SSH 9-A, the greedy road builders just wanted a second route!

Cape Alava is actually further west than Cape Flattery and is not road accessible.

I think Ocean shores is a pretty good example of why such a road was totally unnecessary: the Washington coast just isn't anywhere near as nice as the Oregon and California coasts. It's better just to leave it as we found it.

The lack of development makes it nicer than the Oregon Coast, in my opinion. Less traffic, easier access to secluded beaches, way more real nature.

[kernals12]

I think Portland and Seattle's Freeway "Plans" from the 50s and 60s were just the result of state and local governments drawing lots of lines on maps to bilk the federal government for as much money as possible. As far as I can tell, in Portland, the Mount Hood Freeway was the only one that was seriously considered.

[jakeroot]

I think Ocean shores is a pretty good example of why such a road was totally unnecessary: the Washington coast just isn't anywhere near as nice as the Oregon and California coasts. It's better just to leave it as we found it.

The lack of development makes it nicer than the Oregon Coast, in my opinion. Less traffic, easier access to secluded beaches, way more real nature.

It's kind of a catch-22: better because of the lack of development, but the lack of development makes it harder to "market" to the average seaside holiday-maker.

[Bruce]

I think Portland and Seattle's Freeway "Plans" from the 50s and 60s were just the result of state and local governments drawing lots of lines on maps to bilk the federal government for as much money as possible. As far as I can tell, in Portland, the Mount Hood Freeway was the only one that was seriously considered.

That's incorrect. Seattle went very far with planning the Bay Freeway and RH Thomson Expressway before both were thankfully stopped before the property acquisition phase.

Portland made some accommodations for the Rose City Freeway (continuing off I-405's north end) and I-505 that are still visible today. The former involved demolishing blocks and blocks of a predominantly African American neighborhood (no coincidence, just malice) that was later turned over to expand the hospital.

I think Ocean shores is a pretty good example of why such a road was totally unnecessary: the Washington coast just isn't anywhere near as nice as the Oregon and California coasts. It's better just to leave it as we found it.

The lack of development makes it nicer than the Oregon Coast, in my opinion. Less traffic, easier access to secluded beaches, way more real nature.

It's kind of a catch-22: better because of the lack of development, but the lack of development makes it harder to "market" to the average seaside holiday-maker.

That's what makes it so much nicer. I'd rather send all the tourists to the crowded Oregon beaches while enjoying Washington as it was intended: alone and with few amenities.

[Bruce]

The Vashon Island bridge proposal, 1959:



Of course, the later 1990s version of this one went down in flames with 2/9ths of the island population showing up to shout down the proposal at a public hearing.

Source: Vashon-Maury Island Beachcomber (2017)

[kernals12]

The Vashon Island bridge proposal, 1959:



Of course, the later 1990s version of this one went down in flames with 2/9ths of the island population showing up to shout down the proposal at a public hearing.

Source: Vashon-Maury Island Beachcomber (2017)

Building that bridge would end Seattle's housing shortage in one fell swoop.

[Bruce]

Building that bridge would end Seattle's housing shortage in one fell swoop.

[citation needed]

The Kitsap Peninsula and Vashon Island both have rougher terrain than the rest of the suburban ring around Seattle, so that will limit the effectiveness of development. And not to mention adding more traffic that dumps into West Seattle, which is not exactly well connected to the rest of the region.

[kkt]

There's a fair amount of buildable land in Seattle.  The trouble is the building industry only wants to build flats for techies who can afford million dollar condos, not housing people with ordinary jobs could afford.

[Bruce]

Not to mention there's only so much space where developers are allowed to build anything more than townhouses. The whole of the city proper should be zoned for duplexes at the minimum, and every 15-minute walkshed around transit for proper apartments.

[KEK Inc.]

I think Ocean shores is a pretty good example of why such a road was totally unnecessary: the Washington coast just isn't anywhere near as nice as the Oregon and California coasts. It's better just to leave it as we found it.

You should backpack to Toleak Point.  Seabrook north to La Push has a pretty nice coastline that's comparable to Oregon.  I think the lack of development makes it even nicer (a lot of the coastline is also on tribal land). 

[TEG24601]

There's a fair amount of buildable land in Seattle.  The trouble is the building industry only wants to build flats for techies who can afford million dollar condos, not housing people with ordinary jobs could afford.

Largely because of restrictions put on the developers/builders and the cost of land.  It isn't economical to build "normal" housing in cities.  They have to sell/rent them for a lot more to make their money back, and in order to sell them for those higher prices, they have to be desirable to people willing to pay that much.


I mean, I would love to see apartments with formica, linoleum, and carpet, but that won't happen, especially downtown, unless they can get 1000s of units in a building, which isn't feasible under current building codes.  Providing bonuses for providing more affordable apartments and condos is the only real way to get working-class housing downtown, but the politicians are so incapable of thinking that way, it won't happen.

[Bruce]

Some interesting designs for the NE 4th Street interchange in Bellevue, particularly those trying to fit in access to Main Street.

https://cdm16977.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p16977coll10/id/3649/rec/16

[jakeroot]

Some interesting designs for the NE 4th Street interchange in Bellevue, particularly those trying to fit in access to Main Street.

https://cdm16977.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p16977coll10/id/3649/rec/16

Very intriguing. I suppose a lot of these plans made more sense back when 114 Ave SE was one-way.

[TEG24601]

When I lived in Portland, I was always fascinated with the ramps to nowhere.  So much so that I went digging through the archives, and found several interesting things, including connecting US 26 through downtown to the old Harbor Freeway, a new bridge and expressway north of St. Johns, the Prescott and Mt. Hood Freeways, and the original route for I-5, which was actually going to be either at Grand/MLK, or around 10th/11th, and be a covered freeway, instead of along the waterfront.

And from Portland: the 1964 plan for I-205, which would have been closer to the city and cut through Lake Oswego (who strongly opposed it).



Source: The Oregonian, June 11, 1964

[Bruce]

Another short and relatively unknown project: the Michigan Street Connector. Would have linked SR 509 to I-5 via a new bridge over the Duwamish River with options to continue to the R. H. Thomson Expressway. The Seattle Times drew this map in 1967:



The article describes it as an alternative to the Connecticut Street Viaduct, another cancelled project that would have extended I-90 to the Alaskan Way Viaduct.

[Alps]

Another short and relatively unknown project: the Michigan Street Connector. Would have linked SR 509 to I-5 via a new bridge over the Duwamish River with options to continue to the R. H. Thomson Expressway. The Seattle Times drew this map in 1967:



The article describes it as an alternative to the Connecticut Street Viaduct, another cancelled project that would have extended I-90 to the Alaskan Way Viaduct.

That sure explains the giant long ramps right there