I-5 at 50: It's changed the face of the region

I-5 at 50: It’s changed the face of the region San the for be a BY MATT BATCHELDOR The Olympian It started at Trosper Road and leveled much of Tumwater’s old downtown before turning toward Olympia. Then it skimmed across Capitol Lake, cut through hillsides and ended at Martin Way. It would change the landscape of South Sound forever. And people welcomed it. The superhighway now known as In- terstate 5 opened for traffic 50 years ago this week through Tumwater and Olympia, gobbling up pioneer lands and changing the way drivers get around in South Sound. Back then it was known as the Olympia Freeway, a new segment of the now-defunct U.S. Highway 99. It cost nearly $12 million and stretched just 6.5 miles between Tro- sper Road and Martin Way. The road opened with the first — and per- haps the last — opportunity to walk on it. At 11 a.m. Dec. 12, 1958, Gov. Albert Rosellini and a throng of pedestrians gathered on the freeway bridge that spans Capitol Lake to dedicate the road. State, city and military leaders and musicians from Olympia, North Thurston and Shelton high schools were on hand. “An increasing interchange of people and goods will be possible at a lesser cost,” Roselli- ni told the crowd on the freeway. “All of us will benefit.” A bevy of Army vehicles broke through a ribbon and a short time later, drivers were learning to navigate one of the first limited- access freeways in Washington. That wasn’t easy in a day when two-lane highways were the norm. The freeway was a novel concept; it had no stoplights, grade- level intersections or railroad crossings. The speed limit was 60 miles per hour, and only certain roads could be accessed via exit and entrance ramps. It took only a few hours before the freeway’s first mishap — a driver attempting to enter the freeway via an exit ramp at Deschutes Way. Luckily, he realized his mistake and tried to turn around but got stuck in the mud. A day later, a young driver thought he was still on the freeway with the 60 mph speed limit when he lost control of his car on 14th Avenue. Accidents aside, South Sound residents loved their freeway, despite the fact it con- sumed land and homes and created ever- present traffic noise. It was considered a sign of progress after the common backups on the road’s predecessor, the two-lane U.S. 99. Steve Bloom/The Olympian Morning motorists travel north and south on Interstate 5 near the U.S. Highway 101 interchange Saturday. About the numbers Interstate.highways. are.numbered.accord- ing.to.their.locations.. High-numbered.routes. generally.are.in.the. East.and.North,.and. lower-numbered. routes.are.in.the.West. and.South..Also,.odd- numbered.interstates. run.north-south,.and. even-numbered.ones. run.east-west. The.U.S..highway. system.works.differ- ently,.with.the.high- est-numbered.roads.—. such.as.U.S..Highway. 101.—.in.the.West. The Olympian Inside Olympian.columnist.John.Dodge.looks. back.at.life.before.interstate.highways.. SOUTH SOUND, B1 Interstate.5.through.the.years..A2 Events.to.commemorate.I-5’s.50th.anniversa- ry..A2 . See.I-5,.Page.A2 merle Junk/courtesy of the Susan parish Collections at Shadowcatchers.net A group attends the opening day ceremonies for Interstate 5 on the bridge at the south end of Capitol Lake.