Lost in the recent public announcement of House Speaker Frank Chopp’s vision for the Alaskan Way Viaduct was the fact that, in addition to the retail and office space that could be stashed under the wall of highway (with a park on top, to boot), planners are also considering putting residential space under the Choppway. That’s right: housing under the viaduct, and of a more permanent variety than the random homeless encampments that currently crop up.

Ron Paananen, the Washington State Department of Transportation’s deputy urban corridors administrator, confirmed that residential development is a potential use for the Choppway. Says Paananen, “We really haven’t nailed down all the uses it could be. We’re going to be doing some market research to see what the value of that space might be and what types of uses might be attracted to it.”

He adds that a number of questions would have to be asked about the potential for putting apartments or condos under a highway, including whether it would fit with the city’s comprehensive plan. The idea of including a mix of uses under the viaduct is to generate revenue, Paananen says. While mixed-use development, including residential, is common for projects centered on mass transit stops, Paananen says he’s not aware of any examples of residences being built under a highway. There’s probably a good reason for that.