The project stemmed from a decision by the Toronto City Council to rehabilitate the elevated highway, much of which is five stories high. Photo by Denise Militzer, courtesy of the Bentwayįormerly known as Project: Under Gardiner, the Bentway aims to transform the vacant and forgotten area underneath Toronto’s Gardiner Expressway into a new community gathering place. The Bentway in Toronto Visitors to the Bentway ice trail stand on the edge during a zamboni run. The first phase of construction is expected to begin in late 2018 with the first three of its 10 planned linear miles opening in 2020. The $110 million project will renovate the existing, unlit path into an interactive trail full of vegetation, art, and workout equipment. The project envisions a 10-mile walking and biking path that will act as the foundation for Miami’s larger 250-mile pedestrian infrastructure network. Courtesy of the Underlineįollowing in the footsteps of New York City’s High Line, the Underline in Miami wants to transform a rundown trail below the MetroRail-the city’s elevated rapid transit system-into an urban park. The Underline in Miami Renderings for the Underline in Miami. Major bonus: the highway also offers protection from the rain, making the bike park an all-weather experience. Originally opened in 2008, the urban park has had its ups and downs over the years, but its unlikely success story has been a model for many other cities. Chicano Park in San DiegoĪ post shared by Seattle, Washington on at 2:56pm PDTīuilt under the elevated spans of the I-5 in Seattle and connecting the Eastlake and Capitol Hill neighborhoods, the Colonnade trail system transformed a long-neglected and dangerous two acres of underpass into one of America’s first urban mountain bike skills parks. What’s the status now after the beta test? Wabash Lights is reaching out to locals who want to buy pixels or lights to help fund two blocks of lights. In February 2016 a beta test of the lights was installed, and eventually the project hopes to light up multiple blocks of the underpass. In an effort to combat the dark shadow of Chicago’s elevated train tracks, two art-influenced entrepreneurs want to create a light installation on the underside of Wabash Avenue. The Wabash Lights in Chicago A rendering of the future art installation called the Wabash Lights. Much of the park is beneath the I-93 underpass, and one of its most unique features is a public art installation that uses local street artists to transform 150,000 square feet of mural walls. Located between Boston’s South End and South Boston, this recently opened 8-acre underpass park features landscaped pedestrian boardwalks, bicycle paths along the Fort Point Channel, a dog park, and 24-hour security. Know of an underpass park that we missed? Tell us in the comments! The Underground at Ink Block in Boston People enjoy OkTacoFest, one of the many events hosted in the 8-acre park called the Underground at Ink Block. We’ve also included a few projects that are still under construction.Īll are examples of a new era in underpass design-one that emphasizes high-impact solutions to reconnect neighborhoods and revitalize communities. In Toronto, a just-completed project created an ice rink under the highway. In Seattle, a decades-old project turned a downtrodden underpass into a skateboarding destination. ![]() We’ve rounded up 11 creative examples of transit underpasses that have been transformed. Instead, many cities are turning transit underpasses into public parks- replacing trash, overgrown weeds, and dark passageways with art installations, funky lights, and pedestrian thoroughfares. While freeway cap parks-or removing freeways entirely-have become increasingly popular to reunite cities fragmented by urban highways, capping isn’t always feasible. Since then, cities across the country have worked to reclaim seemingly inhospitable urban infrastructure, from old cisterns to sewage plants.Įlevated highways and rail lines were long overdue for a makeover. Arguably the most famous urban adaptive reuse project in America, the High Line made industrial reuse cool and prompted a wave of creative development. ![]() ![]() When Manhattan’s High Line opened on the west side in 2009, locals and visitors alike flocked to the revitalized railroad trestle to marvel at its transformation into a gorgeous and walkable park.
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