First Part of Houston 'Land Bridge' Opens to Public

The first part of a 'land bridge' in Houston that will connect the two sides of Memorial Park just opened to the public, reports Dan Carson. "The eastbound passage beneath the park's new land bridge opened to cars on Monday. The westbound tunnel will be greenlit for traffic sometime in May, according to officials."

The bridge, similar to wildlife crossings being built elsewhere, "is part of a long-anticipated bridging of the park's north and south sections, which have been split by Memorial Drive since the space's opening." According to Carson, "The Memorial Park Conservancy on Monday posted video to Instagram of the first cars making the journey through the eastbound tunnel running under the new land bridge, which will add 25 acres of park space once completed."

The one-way tunnels under the bridge will be used exclusively by cars. "Once the westbound tunnel lanes are opened for travelers—a date is projected for this May, according to officials—work crews will begin the process of tearing up the previously used portions of Memorial Drive and returning the land to nature," adding 100 new acres of green space.

"Further work on the land bridge over the summer will see the addition of new bike paths and dozens of acres of prairie to the park."