Freeway lid

Washington State Convention Center and Freeway Park form lids over Interstate 5 in Seattle, Washington, United States.

A freeway lid (also known as a lidded freeway, freeway cap, highway cap or highway deck) is a type of deck bridge built on top of a controlled-access highway or other roadway. It is commonly used to create new parkland in urban areas, but can also be used to house buildings or other heavy structures like convention centers.[1][2][3] In some locations, the terms stitch or cap-and-stitch are used to describe overpasses containing widened bridges that accommodate wider sidewalks or small amenity space beside the roadway above the highway.[4]

Cities and highway departments who propose building freeway lids over highways often cite potential benefits including reconnecting street grids near highways, or providing increased access to neighborhoods harmed by displacement caused by past highway construction.[5] Freeway lids are often criticized by highway expansion opponents, who accuse highway departments of using freeway lids to "greenwash" their lane expansion projects to be more palatable to the public.[6]

Examples

  • Jim Ellis Freeway Park, Seattle, Washington, US
  • Aubrey Davis Park, Mercer Island, Washington, US
  • Evergreen Point, Hunts Point, and Yarrow Point on Washington State Route 520, Bellevue, Washington, US[7]
  • Tunnel Tops Park and Battery Bridge Park, San Francisco, California, US
  • George Washington Bridge Bus Station and the Bridge Apartments, New York City, US
  • Kansas City Convention Center, Kansas City, Missouri, US
  • Klyde Warren Park and Southern Gateway Park, Dallas, Texas, US
  • Teralta Park, San Diego, California, US
  • Seattle Convention Center and Freeway Park, Seattle, Washington, US
  • Capitol Crossing, Washington, DC, US
  • High Street crossing, Columbus, Ohio, US[8]
  • Meguro Sky Garden, Tokyo, Japan
  • Frankie Pace Park, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, US
  • Big Dig associated parks (Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway) and Prudential Center, Boston, Massachusetts, US
  • Kanawha Plaza, Richmond, Virginia, US
  • Central 70 Cover Park, Denver, Colorado, US
  • Robert L.B. Tobin Land Bridge, San Antonio, TX, US
  • Kinder Land Bridge, Houston, TX
  • Margaret T. Hance Park, Phoenix, Arizona, US
  • Memorial Park, La Cañada Flintridge, CA, US
  • Folk Art Park, Fifth Street Plaza, and Hartfield-Jackson Airport, Atlanta, Georgia, US
  • Freeway, Rothstein, and Victoria Parks, Southfield, Michigan, US
  • Foglietta Plaza and Veterans Memorial Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US
  • Target Field, Minneapolis, Minnesota, US
  • Fall River City Hall, Fall River, Massachusetts, US

See also

References

  1. ^ Pyati, Archana (April 7, 2017). "Freeway Lids: Reconnecting Communities and Creating New Land for Development". Urban Land Institute. Archived from the original on March 19, 2018. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
  2. ^ Berger, Knute (July 16, 2017). "One simple idea to open up Downtown Seattle". Crosscut.com. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
  3. ^ "More Cities Are Banishing Highways Underground — And Building Parks on Top". pew.org. 2 April 2018.
  4. ^ McAfee, Katy (September 13, 2022). "City of Austin seeks community input on I-35 Cap and Stitch program". Community Impact Newspaper. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
  5. ^ Moore, Martha T. (April 2, 2018). "More Cities Are Banishing Highways Underground — And Building Parks on Top". Stateline. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
  6. ^ Reader, Grace (September 28, 2022). "Austin City Council set to vote on federal I-35 'cap and stitch' funding". KXAN. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
  7. ^ Kroman, David (May 9, 2023). "7 acres, 3 lids: Eastside cities want the state to mow the lawn". The Seattle Times. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  8. ^ "FHWA - Center for Innovative Finance Support - Project Profiles". Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). Retrieved 2023-11-02.