Length 64.37 km | ||
History: Proposed since ca. 1968 | ||
Interstate 605 (I-605) is the common designation given by local media outlets to several proposals for a new auxiliary Interstate Highway bypassing I-5 and I-405 in the U.S. state of Washington. Proposals have been heard from since the 1960s, including highways connecting from I-5 all the way to the Canada–US border, and some just between I-5 and I-90. The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) has no projects designated I-605 at this time. However, a project to convert State Route 18 (SR 18) to a limited-access freeway is under construction currently.
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Proposals
Some of the first plans for a new Interstate Highway freeway, bypassing I-405, surfaced in 1968. The first proposal was to create a new highway between I-405 and the west banks of Lake Sammamish. Residents however forced the highway to the east banks of the lake after voicing their concerns. Residents on the east side of the lake voiced similar concerns and the plan was later dropped.
In 1998, the Washington State Legislature ordered a $500,000 study to investigate the benefits of extending SR 18 north to Everett through the Snoqualmie Valley. The plan was dropped as the study found that on average only five minutes would be saved over current routes. In 2002, Bellevue Square owner Kemper Freeman, Jr. made his support known for a new freeway linking Snohomish County via the Snoqualmie Valley.
Another $500,000 study was ordered in 2003 by the legislature, creating a new commerce corridor to link Lewis County in the south to the Canada–US border in the north. However the study showed that a highway existing north of I-90 was not economically feasible. The study proposed a toll road only for trucks, since the presence of passenger cars would discourage truck drivers from using the new alternate route. The highway was estimated to cost between $13.5 and $19 billion.
Related projects
The state currently has no plans to build Interstate 605. WSDOT however is widening SR 18 between I-5 and I-90, with only the segment between the Issaquah Hobart Road and I-90 yet to be completed, creating a full limited-access freeway between I-5 and I-90, southeast of I-405. While SR 18 has been a part of some I-605 proposals, it only allows drivers to bypass the Greater Seattle area on the southern and eastern sides.