The premise that I-5 is a curse is debatable. In addition, capping freeways make them unusable by rigs carrying flammable cargo. Before you say "that's great" consider you're just causing stress and congestion elsewhere in the system by taking alternate routes.

Maybe they ought to focus on this first:
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/transportation/delayed-repairs-threaten-washington-state-bridges-and-highways-will-lawmakers-act-this-year/

@1, lids and tunnels do not prevent flammable materials from being hauled through provided that adequate fire suppression systems are installed, which of course they will be.

The only time flammables are prohibited in the Mt. Baker tunnel is when the system is shut down for testing and inspection, maybe two or three times a year last I remember.

"Of course, lidding of I-5 is just a tiny fragment of the issues connected to the bills — they’re proposing over $5 billion for “Highway Preservation”"

"one of these things is not like the other"
Lidding a freeway is a "tiny fragment" of $5B???

"‘I am taking trouble with you, [Matt] because you are worth trouble. You know perfectly well what is the matter with you. You have known it for years, though you have fought against the knowledge. You are mentally deranged. You suffer from a defective memory. You are unable to remember real events and you persuade yourself that you remember other events which never happened. Fortunately it is curable. You have never cured yourself of it, because you did not choose to. There was a small effort of the will that you were not ready to make. Even now, I am well aware, you are clinging to your disease under the impression that it is a virtue. Now we will take an example. At this moment, which power is Oceania at war with?’"

"One of these things is not like the other, One of these things doesn't belong" ?? WTF Sesame street, "doesn't belong" OMG! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsRjQDrDnY8 I guess it is nice that you have some tolerance for different shapes, but the "wrong" color doesn't belong ?

Ain’t nobody got time for that. This is some crazy urban planner niche click bait. There are literally 1000 more important problems to solve first.

Capping that gash was the first thought I had when I first saw it upon moving here. I had this thought cuz I moved here from Dallas, where they had a similar highway cutting their urban core in half, and then they capped it with a park and it's amazing.

That stretch of highway went from a deafening roar to one of the most pedestrian-populated areas in downtown Dallas (not a high bar but still), to the great benefit of the adjacent businesses and arts district. They didn't have room for housing but that would've made it even more preferable to the former river of carbon monoxide.

@4 -- i daily thank
god for the Cures.

@7 so where
Does all that
CO2 go?

@9 The trees and plants where there used to be none eat some of it up, which is more than spending money on widened highways will ever do. The park also reduces rainwater lost to the storm drains by a not insignificant amount, and Dallas needs all the help it can get retaining rainwater.

They should remove I-5 through downtown and just route everyone around via 405.

The feasibility study was interesting: https://www.seattle.gov/Documents/Departments/OPCD/OngoingInitiatives/LidI5FeasibilityStudy/LidI5FeasibilityStudySummaryReportFinal.pdf. I urge all naysayers to give it a read.

I think most people consider this an expansion of Freeway Park (but without the brutalist architecture). I like parks, but there are other things to consider:

1) Housing. There is the potential for a lot of housing, right where we want it (downtown).

2) Transportation. The report mentioned the fact that a lot of people commute by foot now. There are a lot of people walking from one side of the freeway to the other, and they have to go well out of there way to get there. Borderline walks become driving trips.

Then there is the bus system. The freeway cuts it up. Bus lanes aren't added because often it is the only way through. Opening up new streets, with bus lanes and bike lanes, would really improve public transportation in the area.

It would be expensive, but if you think of it as a major transportation/housing proposal (as well as a parks proposal) it seems worth it to me. It would be a better value than West Seattle light rail, let alone light rail from Issaquah to Kirkland.

Extending green spaces in urban areas is an admirable goal, and if the pussies in the suburbs don't like it they can cram it. Yes, miles of concrete are oppressive and more park areas would improve quality of life. Hopefully President Biden's infrastructure package will address this relevant urban issue and the morons in the suburbs can spritz their nuts with Aqua-Velva. The idea of extending the Freeway Park is very compelling.

This would utterly obliterate my view of lake union, and I still want it. It's that good of an idea.

Also @7
The only complaint I have about the lid over woodall was that it eventually become the lawn for a restaurant. It looked nice, but the keep off grass signs are a bit counterintuitive.