Made up of two interlocking runways that meet to create a series of covered outdoor spaces, the bridge park links two sides of the Anacostia river that are currently only connected by highway overpasses.
Like other bridge designs by OMA, the overpass creates habitable green spaces along the ground below the bridge while also creating new overlooks and usable spaces along the span of the bridge itself.
Like other bridge designs by OMA, the overpass creates habitable green spaces along the ground below the bridge while also creating new overlooks and usable spaces along the span of the bridge itself.
“At a time when we are paradoxically isolated from one another but united in a common cause, public spaces that we all share and that benefit health have become more important than ever. Our work has focused on creating a new civic space that engages with the Anacostia River and refining the program for the park to ensure it will be a place for everyone in DC.”
Jason Long, OMA Partner.
OMA has continued its collaboration with OLIN under the leadership of partner Hallie Boyce as they refine the program spaces as well as materiality and landscape design across the Bridge Park. OMA and OLIN have also been working closely with structural engineers WRA and Delon Hampton to advance the bridge structure and design.
Key stakeholders such as the Anacostia Watershed Society have worked together with the design team to refine the design of the major programmatic spaces at the Bridge Park, including the Exelon Environmental Education Center.
“This project would not have been possible without the efforts of key stakeholders and the community. Their comments and feedback truly shaped the bridge, from its overall design to its specific programs and features. It’s only fitting that a project of this size and importance has required such broad cooperation and collaboration.”
Yusef Ali Dennis, OMA Associate.
The 11th Street Bridge Park is slated to begin construction in 2021 and will create a communal gathering place to unite a long-divided city. As the NCPC report points out; “the park will increase community connectivity and create welcoming and vibrant spaces that enhance the user experience and foster civic and local uses."
This project will be the first public space in the nation’s capital that will make a bridge a destination—a park above the river—where access to green spaces can significantly encourage physical activity while building social capital.
