Mercer Street provides connections to more Seattle neighborhoods than any other arterial in the city.

However, it is often clogged with traffic jams. And, in a few years, the new tunnel will dump thousands of additional cars every day onto Mercer. Unless something is done, Mercer will only get worse.

Why fix Mercer?

Improve the street grid for freight

Mercer Street is a major corridor for freight from I-5 to our city’s industrial areas. Straightening out the mess would be a dramatic improvement for moving the freight that’s essential to our local economy.

Reduce congestion by allowing for transit service

Buses can’t navigate the maze on the east end of Mercer. A two-way Mercer will fix that problem and allow mass transit throughout the area.

Transform a hostile environment for pedestrians and bicyclists

Mercer is bad for motorists, but it’s even worse for everyone else. There are no sidewalks, no bike lanes and no pedestrian crossings. A new Mercer Street will include sidewalks, crosswalks, bike connections and more safety improvements.

Reduce regional congestion

Improved traffic routing and widening of I-5 ramps will reduce congestion that can cause backups on I-5, 520, 405, and 99.

Mercer must be fixed now ...

With a tunnel but no two-way Mercer, we will have a transportation nightmare that will dwarf the 40-year Mercer Mess.