Seattle ARCH Monument

Since its inception, Seattle ARCH has advocated for preserving a fragment of the R.H. Thomson “Ramps to Nowhere” as a monument to the citizen activists who helped defeat this major north-south expressway.  In October 2016, Seattle ARCH advanced a proposal to preserve four columns and a crossbeam of the defunct freeway, which received unanimous support from the Seattle City Council.

The R.H. Thomson ruin will endure as a lasting symbol of the importance of grass roots civic activism.  It stands to celebrate and honor the citizen activists who worked to stop another freeway from tearing up Seattle neighborhoods, and will remind future generations that citizens, working together, can have a major impact.

The images below show the location and early concept drawings for the monument. It is expected to come to fruition when reconstruction of SR 520 is completed in 2028 and will be integrated into the design of the future Arboretum North Entry.

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RH Thomson “Ramps to Nowhere,” site of future Seattle Arch Monument
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Aerial view of R.H. Thomson “Ramps to Nowhere”
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View of the unused R.H. Thomson Expressway (center and right) with the eastbound S.R. 520 onramp at Lake Washington Blvd
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View of the unused R.H. Thomson Expressway at Bent 6E, including four ivy-covered columns and beam.
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Proposed Seattle ARCH ruin, marking the grass-roots movement to preserve urban neighborhoods against further destruction from freeways.