The City of Seattle has finalized a comprehensive two-year feasibility study examining the future of State Route 99 as it passes through the South Park neighborhood.
Maria Guadalupe Ramirez, project manager for the Reconnect South Park Coalition, noted to KUOW that the four-lane model would likely mirror the existing Aurora Avenue stretch of Highway 99 in North Seattle.
For the Reconnect South Park Coalition, the removal of the highway is not just a transit project but a necessary public health intervention to preserve the remaining community fabric.
This transition changed the road's purpose from a national necessity to a regional distributor, yet the physical infrastructure remained as a barrier within the communities it bypassed.
Removing a highway and restoring the land is an expensive endeavor that requires coordination between the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) and the City of Seattle.
A new Seattle city study outlines four options for Highway 99 in South Park, including full removal to gain 100 acres of land and improve health.