Examples of Other Reconnection Projects
The idea of reconnecting riverfronts with surrounding neighborhoods and cities is nothing new. Cities all over the world have embarked on reconnection projects in an effort to reunite communities, going back hundreds of years.
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Ponte Vecchio, Florence, Italy |
Pont Au Change, Paris, France |
During the initial I-5 Decking Research Study, an Inventory of Comparative Projects was compiled. Three recent examples in the U.S. exhibit very similar qualities and characteristics to the Bridging I-5 project.
I-35 Extension, Duluth, Minnesota
In 1992, the City of Duluth completed construction of four tunnels that added 13 blocks to Duluth's downtown. The I-35 Extension used full and partial decking to create a variety of linkages, complete with community amenities that reconnected downtown Duluth to the Lake Superior waterfront. The effort preserved several historical buildings, added a 2.5-acre central park, and created new trails and urban green spaces including the Duluth Rose Garden. The total project cost approximately $220 million. Since its completion, the reconnection has stimulated an estimated $1 billion in private investment and a doubling of land values.
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Duluth, Minnesota |
Hartford, Connecticut |
Hartford, Connecticut |
I-84/I-91 Riverfront Recapture, Hartford, Connecticut
This project built a 1.5-acre landscaped park on top of a partial deck over the existing freeway along Hartford's mile-long riverfront. Completed in 2000, this $24.6 million Riverfront Plaza project restored riverfront access and the historic connection between the Connecticut River and Connecticut's historic state capital in downtown. It also improved pedestrian and bicycle access to East Hartford and enabled riverfront development to serve as a catalyst for urban rebirth.
Fort Washington Way, Cincinnati, Ohio
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Cincinnati, Ohio |
Seattle, Washington |
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Cincinnati began an ambitious I-71 freeway reconstruction project in 1998. While its goal was initially to increase traffic flow through the expressway and improve pedestrian access to the riverfront, the City eventually realized that in order to maximize the full economic potential of concurrent Riverfront Redevelopment (including two new stadiums), reconnecting the Central Business District to the riverfront by decking over Fort Washington Way was critical to its success.
I-90 Completion Project, Seattle, Washington
In Seattle, Washington, the City and State have worked with the U.S. Department of Transportation to build three different projects, all with unique approaches and outcomes.The Interstate 90 Completion Project includes two landscaped lids on either end of a 7-mile stretch of freeway from Seattle to Mercer Island. The lids cover about 20 percent of the project’s length and account for 28 acres of park land that help reunite the neighborhoods that had been torn apart by freeway construction decades ago.
Freeway Park is a 5-acre oasis in the center of downtown Seattle. Built on one of the freeway overpasses of Interstate 5, its waterfalls and fountains mute the roar of the eight-lane freeway below and its landscaping provides a green respite and pedestrian connection between neighborhoods that were cut off from each other when I-5 was built in the 1960s.
The Washington State Convention and Trade Center project is one of three lids that span across I-5, serving to reconnect the neighborhoods on either side of the freeway.
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