CityNerd | Freeway Lids: The 10 Best Places to Cap Highways and Create Space for Parks and New Development @CityNerd | Uploaded March 2022 | Updated October 2024, 1 hour ago.
- This week's video looks at freeway lids (or freeway caps, "cap and stitches," or freeway decks, depending what part of the US you live in!). Several regions in the US are currently looking at decking over freeways as an alternative to freeway removal, which is politically fraught. This video expands on a previous video that identified the ten most effective existing freeway lids in the US, this time looking at the ten locations with the greatest potential.
Stops on our exploration include:
- I-95 in the Bronx
- I-83 in Baltimore
- I-35E/I-94 in St. Paul
- I-90 (including Copley Square, Prudential Center, Fenway Center, and Back Bay Train Station in Boston)
- I-71 in Cincinnati (Connect the Blocks)
- I-10 in El Paso
- US 101 in Los Angeles (Park 101)
- I-670 including the Kansas City Convention Center
- I-405 and I-5 in Portland
- I-85 in Atlanta (The Stitch)
- Viaducto Miguel Alemán (Mexico City)
- A15 (Montreal)
- I-5 in Seattle including Washington State Convention Center and Freeway Park (Lid I-5)
- I-30 and Klyde Warren Park (Dallas)
- I-676 in Philadelphia
- I-95 in Providence
- I-90 in Chicago (Millennium Park for the West Loop)
Other CityNerd videos referenced:
- Freeway-Heavy Downtowns: youtu.be/WYsJx1urS3Y
- Lids What Why & Where: youtu.be/Bp0faVOdf2c
- Key Stations for High Speed Rail: youtu.be/dpdz6HcZj84
- Texas High Speed Rail Race: youtu.be/Ci4SbjBnqkk
Resources:
- kmbc.com/article/new-plan-for-downtown-south-loop-deck-could-reduce-cost-by-millions-of-dollars-kansas-city-interstate-670-missouri/30260955#
- "New plan for 'deck' over I-670 downtown South Loop could be reduced by millions of dollars" by Michael Mahoney for KMBC News at kmbc.com/article/new-plan-for-downtown-south-loop-deck-could-reduce-cost-by-millions-of-dollars-kansas-city-interstate-670-missouri/30260955#
- "Rose Quarter Compromise Pleases Neighborhood Advocates, Leaves Enviros Unsatisfied" by Nigel Jaquiss for Willamette Week at wweek.com/news/city/2021/08/05/rose-quarter-compromise-pleases-neighborhood-advocates-leaves-enviros-unsatisfied
- Providence I-95 Viaduct Northbound project page at dot.ri.gov/projects/I-95ViaductNorth/index.php
- la.curbed.com/2017/6/21/15846838/101-freeway-cap-downtown-plan-update
- "Plan to cap the 101 freeway in Downtown LA with a park moves forward" by Bianca Barragan for Curbed Los Angeles at la.curbed.com/2017/6/21/15846838/101-freeway-cap-downtown-plan-update
- Lid I-5 launch page at lidi5.org
- "Visionary plan to cap the Kennedy Expressway with a park might still happen" by Jay Koziarz at Curbed Chicago at chicago.curbed.com/2020/1/14/21065818/cap-kennedy-expressway-park-west-loop
- The Stitch project page at atlantadowntown.com/initiatives/the-stitch
- "Senators Reverend Warnock, Ossoff Announce $900K Federal Award for The Stitch Project in Atlanta" (press release) atlantadowntown.com/article/senators-reverend-warnock-ossoff-announce-900k-federal-award-for-the-stitch-project-in-atlanta
- "A Look At I-30’s Hopes in The Canyon: Deck Parks, Complete Streets, and More" by Matt Goodman for D Magazine at dmagazine.com/frontburner/2019/10/txdot-dallas-interstate-30-canyon
- Cincinnati "Connect the Blocks" launch page: connecttheblocks.org
Image Credits:
- I-676 flood photo from @KSATsteph
- Klyde Warren Park By Michael Barera, CC BY-SA 4.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=41394682
- Klyde Warren Park By Joe Mabel, CC BY-SA 3.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=24515462
- Klyde Warren Park By Dqbush - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=53878569
- Klyde Warren Park By Kevin1086 - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=23211894
Music:
CityNerd background: Caipirinha in Hawaii by Carmen María and Edu Espinal (YouTube music library)
Twitter: @nerd4cities
Instagram: @nerd4cities
Contact: nerd4cities@gmail.com
- This week's video looks at freeway lids (or freeway caps, "cap and stitches," or freeway decks, depending what part of the US you live in!). Several regions in the US are currently looking at decking over freeways as an alternative to freeway removal, which is politically fraught. This video expands on a previous video that identified the ten most effective existing freeway lids in the US, this time looking at the ten locations with the greatest potential.
Stops on our exploration include:
- I-95 in the Bronx
- I-83 in Baltimore
- I-35E/I-94 in St. Paul
- I-90 (including Copley Square, Prudential Center, Fenway Center, and Back Bay Train Station in Boston)
- I-71 in Cincinnati (Connect the Blocks)
- I-10 in El Paso
- US 101 in Los Angeles (Park 101)
- I-670 including the Kansas City Convention Center
- I-405 and I-5 in Portland
- I-85 in Atlanta (The Stitch)
- Viaducto Miguel Alemán (Mexico City)
- A15 (Montreal)
- I-5 in Seattle including Washington State Convention Center and Freeway Park (Lid I-5)
- I-30 and Klyde Warren Park (Dallas)
- I-676 in Philadelphia
- I-95 in Providence
- I-90 in Chicago (Millennium Park for the West Loop)
Other CityNerd videos referenced:
- Freeway-Heavy Downtowns: youtu.be/WYsJx1urS3Y
- Lids What Why & Where: youtu.be/Bp0faVOdf2c
- Key Stations for High Speed Rail: youtu.be/dpdz6HcZj84
- Texas High Speed Rail Race: youtu.be/Ci4SbjBnqkk
Resources:
- kmbc.com/article/new-plan-for-downtown-south-loop-deck-could-reduce-cost-by-millions-of-dollars-kansas-city-interstate-670-missouri/30260955#
- "New plan for 'deck' over I-670 downtown South Loop could be reduced by millions of dollars" by Michael Mahoney for KMBC News at kmbc.com/article/new-plan-for-downtown-south-loop-deck-could-reduce-cost-by-millions-of-dollars-kansas-city-interstate-670-missouri/30260955#
- "Rose Quarter Compromise Pleases Neighborhood Advocates, Leaves Enviros Unsatisfied" by Nigel Jaquiss for Willamette Week at wweek.com/news/city/2021/08/05/rose-quarter-compromise-pleases-neighborhood-advocates-leaves-enviros-unsatisfied
- Providence I-95 Viaduct Northbound project page at dot.ri.gov/projects/I-95ViaductNorth/index.php
- la.curbed.com/2017/6/21/15846838/101-freeway-cap-downtown-plan-update
- "Plan to cap the 101 freeway in Downtown LA with a park moves forward" by Bianca Barragan for Curbed Los Angeles at la.curbed.com/2017/6/21/15846838/101-freeway-cap-downtown-plan-update
- Lid I-5 launch page at lidi5.org
- "Visionary plan to cap the Kennedy Expressway with a park might still happen" by Jay Koziarz at Curbed Chicago at chicago.curbed.com/2020/1/14/21065818/cap-kennedy-expressway-park-west-loop
- The Stitch project page at atlantadowntown.com/initiatives/the-stitch
- "Senators Reverend Warnock, Ossoff Announce $900K Federal Award for The Stitch Project in Atlanta" (press release) atlantadowntown.com/article/senators-reverend-warnock-ossoff-announce-900k-federal-award-for-the-stitch-project-in-atlanta
- "A Look At I-30’s Hopes in The Canyon: Deck Parks, Complete Streets, and More" by Matt Goodman for D Magazine at dmagazine.com/frontburner/2019/10/txdot-dallas-interstate-30-canyon
- Cincinnati "Connect the Blocks" launch page: connecttheblocks.org
Image Credits:
- I-676 flood photo from @KSATsteph
- Klyde Warren Park By Michael Barera, CC BY-SA 4.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=41394682
- Klyde Warren Park By Joe Mabel, CC BY-SA 3.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=24515462
- Klyde Warren Park By Dqbush - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=53878569
- Klyde Warren Park By Kevin1086 - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=23211894
Music:
CityNerd background: Caipirinha in Hawaii by Carmen María and Edu Espinal (YouTube music library)
Twitter: @nerd4cities
Instagram: @nerd4cities
Contact: nerd4cities@gmail.com
