Freeway Cap

Aerial view of the cover park over I-70 and surrounding neighborhood with downtown Denver in background.

Opening of Denver’s New Freeway Cap Park Triggers Gentrification Fears

Local residents fear rising housing costs and displacement with the opening of a new four-acre park built on a deck bridge over the newly reconstructed and widened I-70 interstate.

December 15, 2023 - High Country News

View of San Francisco skyline from Tunnel Tops park in the Presidio.

San Francisco’s Tunnel Tops Gets Family-Oriented Expansion

Unlike its flashier, selfie-friendly neighbor, the new Outpost Meadow is designed to provide comfortable space for locals.

July 13, 2023 - San Francisco Chronicle

Rendering of proposed South Loop Link Park over I 670 in Kansas City, MO

Kansas City Requests State Funding for Freeway Cap Park

The city has been working to raise $200 million to create a 5.5 acre park spanning a portion of Interstate 670.

April 13, 2023 - KCUR

Rendering of freeway deck over Interstate 10 in El Paso

El Paso Freeway Cap Linked to Road Expansion

A deck reconnecting neighborhoods divided by the interstate is part of a controversial freeway expansion proposal.

January 27, 2023 - Smart Cities Dive

Rendering of Midtown Connector freeway cap park in Atlanta, Georgia

Atlanta Receives $3.2 Million for Freeway Cap Plan

The federal funding will help move forward planning for an ambitious proposal to cap a downtown Atlanta freeway with a 25-acre park.

January 19, 2023 - Urbanize Atlanta

Rendering of pedestrians and cyclists in Hospital Square surrounded by buildings and trees

Atlanta Launches Website for Highway Cap Project

Residents can view plans for the 14-acre project that include public plazas and green spaces connecting local landmarks, employment centers, and transit stations.

November 18, 2022 - Urbanize Atlanta

The ramps of the interchange between the Major Deegan Expressway and the Cross Bronx Expressway

New York City Could Cap Cross Bronx Expressway

A multi-agency effort will assess options for ‘reimagining’ the notorious Cross Bronx Expressway and improving public health and quality of life along the corridor.

June 1, 2022 - StreetsBlog NYC

The Washington St Bridge in Minneapolis is shown with downtown Minneapolis in the background.

Minnesota Republicans Kill Passenger Rail, Freeway Cap Projects

Republicans in the Minnesota State Senate blocked the planning of a proposed passenger rail route between Duluth and the Twin Cities in addition to a plan for a freeway cap in a historically Black neighborhood in St. Paul.

May 19, 2022 - MPR News

Atlanta Skyline

Atlanta Highway Cap Project Gets New Life

The city council voted to apply for a $1 million federal grant to study the potential benefits of building a park over downtown freeways.

July 13, 2021 - Urbanize Atlanta

Proposed Midtown Connector plan

Atlanta Weighs 'Midtown Connector' Freeway Cap

The billion-dollar project would create a 25-acre park and 3.5 miles of new bike and pedestrian routes.

February 23, 2021 - Urbanize Atlanta

Dallas Freeway Removal

Reimagining the Urban Freeway

With the new administration placing racial justice and equity at the forefront of transportation policy, will America finally reckon with the legacy of its freeways?

February 11, 2021 - Common Edge

Freeway park over I-5

I-5 Study Shows Benefits of Capping Urban Freeways

Putting a lid on the interstate through downtown Seattle could create new space for parks and housing, reduce pollution, and reconnect the disrupted street grid.

February 8, 2021 - The Urbanist

The Stitch

3 Freeway Cap Projects Designed to Undo the Racism of the Past

A trio of freeway cap proposals around the country—in St. Paul, Atlanta, and Austin—embody the potential of infrastructure change to undo the mistakes of the past.

October 8, 2020 - UrbanLand

The Stitch

Keeping the Dream Alive of a Downtown Freeway Cap in Atlanta

Advocates and experts are still working to further the idea of capping a Downtown freeway connector in Atlanta—a project called "The Stitch."

February 21, 2019 - Curbed Atlanta

Denver Cap Park

Freeway Cap Book Manuscript Online for Review and Comment

The first comprehensive manual for planning, funding, and building a freeway cap is put online for review and comment.

May 27, 2018 - UrbDeZine

I-10

Santa Monica to Plan for a Freeway Cap Where the I-10 Meets the Pacific Coast

The terminus of the I-10 freeway is a 7,000-foot concrete trench across the heart of Santa Monica. The city's new downtown plan calls for a cap, and a new master plan will hammer out specifics.

January 12, 2018 - The Architect's Newspaper

Image of Chicago Lake Shore Drive Freeway

Proposal: Bury a Section of Chicago's Lake Shore Drive

In an ambitious plan dating back to the early 20th century, some Chicagoans want to build out park space over Lake Shore Drive's Oak Street S-bend. The project wouldn't be a straightforward one.

March 7, 2017 - Curbed Chicago

Two-Mile Freeway Cap to Cover the Autobahn in Hamburg

After deciding to widen the Autobahn 7 through Hamburg, Germany, local planners also decided cover the highway with parks. The benefits of the plan will include reconnected neighborhoods and noise reduction.

January 13, 2015 - Fast Co.Exist

Denver Considers How to Heal Neighborhoods Decimated by I-70

Something will be done to help Denver's Elyria and Swansea neighborhoods recover from decades of decline brought by the construction of I-70. Will a plan to bury the interstate be replaced with an ambitious proposal to reroute the road entirely?

October 3, 2012 - The Denver Post

Will 'Downtown Crossing' Project Heal New Haven's Divide?

A target of 1950s urban renewal, New Haven is looking to rewrite renewal's wrongs by re-connecting the Hill neighborhood with downtown via a highway cap project. Critics complain the project doesn't go far enough to heal the area's historic wounds.

July 24, 2012 - The New York Times

News from HUD User

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

Call for Speakers

Mpact Transit + Community

New Updates on PD&R Edge

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Websites

The best of the Internet—since 2002.

Top Apps

Planning apps for a brave new world.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.