One Reason not to move I-5 South

Obviously this photo was taken from above the freeway, but it’s similar to the gorgeous view of our lovely river and downtown skyline from I-5 South on the east side. Every time I drive that stretch, I’m filled with pride in our city and given a few moments of joy in its beauty. We wouldn’t get that, driving through a tunnel. Most people in Portland don’t live close enough to walk to the Willamette River. With the freeway in its current location, citizens who drive get to see and delight in it.

There are other reasons I don’t support moving or burying I-5 South in the central eastside. We should prioritize transportation spending in areas of town where kids can’t walk to school or cross the street safely, where citizens are currently begging for paved roads, sidewalks, and bike paths. The Central Eastside Industrial District is a vital sanctuary of good, family-wage jobs in our city’s core, and the freeway helps keep it from gentrifying. A freeway on-ramp would help the industrial sanctuary more than relocation. Providing pedestrian/bike access/improvements to the river with the existing road structure would provide immediate benefits to inner eastside neighborhoods, rather than continuing to spend planning dollars on a proposal that would not be implemented for decades.

The best argument for moving the freeway may be that doing so would reduce the number of people driving from Washington to California who think, “Wow! This would be a great place to live!” But that would be at the cost of those like me who drive from the Lloyd Center to SW Portland, and think,