Below are freeway capping projects that incorporate park land or greenspace atop the deck that have taken place or which are proposed in the United States. They are listed by their known or approximate length (~) using maps.google.com. Unfortunately, there are not as many of these projects as one would hope or expect given the many benefits derived from them.
As the name for the proposed project in downtown Atlanta hints (“The Stitch”), most, if not all of these projects are attempts to right a terrible wrong that took place during the peak freeway-building era in the United States (1945-1990). During this time period, freeways were carved through cities with little to no regard for the neighborhoods and communities destroyed, the people uprooted (mostly poor and minorities), nor the long-term consequences from noise and pollution.
While some freeway capping projects have been noteworthy and successful in revitalizing adjacent and nearby areas, some remain controversial. In El Paso for example, the freeway capping project is being tied to a widening to I-10, including the construction of more frontage roads and the removal of other surface street connections.
Fortunately, freeway capping projects like Freeway Park in Seattle, South Riverwalk Park in Trenton, and the Rose Kennedy Greenway in Boston have shown the positive (and successful) side of rebuilding connections. The primary purpose of building a park cap over a freeway should not be to create more wealth for the privileged, but should be to reconnect neighborhoods, build equity for inner-city residents, and partially right a terrible wrong from the 20th century. To do other wise only deepens the wound.
“The primary purpose of building a park cap over a freeway should not be to create more wealth for the privileged, but should be to reconnect neighborhoods, build equity for inner-city residents, and partially right a terrible wrong from the 20th century. To do other wise only deepens the wound.”
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Whether built (or proposed) for the right reasons or the wrong ones, here’s the list. As always, any additions, corrections, or suggestions are most welcome. Peace!
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Boston, Massachusetts: Rose Kennedy Greenway over I-93 = 1.5 miles with 17 acres of park land
Phoenix, Arizona: Margaret Hance Park over I-10 (1990) = 2,887 feet with 32 acres park land
Trenton, New Jersey: South Riverwalk Park over NJ 29 (2002) = 2,640 feet~ with 6.3 acres of park land
El Paso, Texas: I-10 = 2,300 feet (construction to start in 2025)
Dallas Texas: Woodall Rogers Freeway = Klyde Warren Park (2012) = 0.2 miles or 1,056 feet plus 200 feet~ with extension = 1,256 feet ~ with 5.4 acres of park land with 1.2 acre expansion under way (2024)
Kansas City, Missouri: South Loop Park over I-670 = 1,200 feet~ with 5.5 acre park proposed
Dallas, Texas: Southern Gateway Park over I-35E in Oak Cliff (Phase I to open in early 2024) = 1,100 feet~ upon full completion with 5 acres – phase I = approximately 500 feet with 2.8 acres of park land
Oak Park, Michigan: Victoria Park over I-696 (1985) = 700 feet~ with 3.7 acres of park land
Oak Park, Michigan: Rothstein Park over I-696 (1987) = 600 feet~ with 7.2 acres of park land
Seattle, Washington: Freeway Park over I-5 (1976) = 500 feet~ with 5.2 acres of park land
Southfield, Michigan: Lincoln Woods Park over I-696 (1987) = 500 feet with 10 acres of park land
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Korean and Vietnam War Memorial Parks over I-95 (2002/1987) = 500 feet~ on 6.4 acres combined park land
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Franklin Pace Park over I-579 (2021) = 500 feet~ with 3 acres of park land
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Park at Penn’s Landing over I-95 (2026) = 500 feet~ with 11.5 acres, of which 1/2 or 250 feet is currently occupied by I-95 Park
St. Louis, Missouri: Gateway Arch National Park over I-44 (2013) = 250 feet~ with a small portion of the 91 acre park
Atlanta, Georgia: The Stitch over I-75/85 = 14 acres proposed
Atlanta, Georgia: Park over US 19/GA 400 in Buckhead = 9-10 acres proposed
Other possible future capping projects:
Austin, Texas – Cap and stitch program for I-35
Cincinnati, Ohio – Park over I-71
Los Angeles, California: Park over US 101 in the Hollywood section of the city
Nashville, Tennessee: park over I-40/65 = 3,500 feet with 14 acres of park land – suggested by Vanderbilt University students
Seattle, Washington: extending Freeway Park over I-5
St. Paul, Minnesota: Rondo Land Bridge over I-94
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Note: ~ means approximately
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SOURCES:
- https://www.dmagazine.com/publications/d-ceo/2015/september/how-klyde-warren-park-has-changed-downtown-uptown-dallas-real-estate/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klyde_Warren_Park
- https://www.dmagazine.com/frontburner/2021/06/what-we-know-about-the-klyde-warren-park-expansion/
- https://www.dmagazine.com/frontburner/2018/10/slideshow-the-expansion-of-klyde-warren-park/
- https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2018/04/more-cities-are-banishing-highways-underground-and-building-parks-on-top
- https://www.biophiliccities.org/deck-park
- https://www.phoenix.gov/parks/parks/alphabetical/h-parks/hance
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papago_Freeway_Tunnel
- https://trek.zone/en/puerto-rico/places/566629/minillas-tunnel-san-juan
- https://www.cnu.org/highways-boulevards/campaign-cities/seattle-i-5
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freeway_Park
- https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2018/11/17/oak-park-bridge-696-replacement/2027697002/
- https://www.ahealthiermichigan.org/2013/09/27/mitrailsweek-the-trail-on-top-of-i-696/
- https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/michigan/detroit/hidden-nature-preserve-detroit/
- https://oaklandcounty115.com/2018/09/06/explore-the-parks-over-i-696-in-oak-park/
- https://www.planetizen.com/news/2023/01/121259-el-paso-freeway-cap-linked-road-expansion
- https://www.downtowndeckplaza.org
- https://www.cnu.org/publicsquare/2021/08/02/highway-cap-el-paso-false-road-equity
- https://www.southerngatewaypark.org/park-updates/2022/4/28/new-i-35-deck-park-in-dallas-oak-cliff-gets-105m-in-private-money
- https://www.southerngatewaypark.org/fast-facts
- https://www.atlantamagazine.com/news-culture-articles/stitch-ambitious-proposal-build-parks-housing-connector/
- https://www.ajc.com/news/local-govt–politics/buckhead-deck-park-over-400-gets-big-debut/wGjaZeFUNp8tdjuePOjvoN/
- http://www.nycroads.com/roads/NJ-29/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rose_Fitzgerald_Kennedy_Greenway
- http://www.pkfmarkiii.com/projects/bridges/207–south-riverwalk-park
- https://atlanta.curbed.com/2019/6/26/18744207/buckhead-highway-capping-park-project-hub-404
- https://www.dropbox.com/s/axiejmhz3bcs1ic/ce2_Capping%20the%20Interstate_Final%20Report_FINAL.pdf?dl=0
- https://www.dropbox.com/s/ydd38qlfxwcaslx/Capping%20the%20Interstate%20Feasibility%20Study%20Final.pdf?dl=0
- https://www.interstate-guide.com/i-579-pa/
- https://www.pittsburghmagazine.com/what-to-expect-when-you-visit-pittsburghs-new-cap-park/https://www.pgh-sea.com/index.php?path=i5-ucp
- maps.google.com
- https://www.parkatpennslanding.com
- https://www.phillyvoice.com/penns-landing-park-philadelphia-renderings-cap-i95-south-street-bridge/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_parks_in_Philadelphia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philadelphia_Vietnam_Veterans_Memorial
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philadelphia_Korean_War_Memorial
- https://www.kshb.com/news/local-news/watch-plans-unveiled-for-160m-park-covering-i-670-in-downtown-kansas-city
- https://www.startlandnews.com/2022/04/kc-south-loop-funding/
- https://nextcity.org/urbanist-news/a-plan-for-the-gateway-arch-leaves-a-st.-louis-highway-in-place.-but-for-ho
- https://www.cnu.org/what-we-do/build-great-places/i-70-st-louis
- https://www.nps.gov/jeff/planyourvisit/park-brochure.htm
- https://urbanland.uli.org/industry-sectors/infrastructure-transit/three-u-s-highway-cap-projects-reckoning-with-urban-inequity/
- https://www.austintexas.gov/department/our-future-35-austins-cap-and-stitch-program
- https://downtownaustin.com/what-we-do/current-projects/i35/
- https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/0e83db0bfa6244a6961f328e7dd7d641
- https://www.kvue.com/article/traffic/austin-i35-cap-stitch-expansion-dallas-kylde-warren-park/269-c87d7518-9877-4d8c-92e1-f665757baa5e
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