The project was approved at the preliminary stage of development by the Metropolitan Planning Commission and received positive feedback from the US Fine Arts Commission. Construction should begin as early as 2021.
The Anacostia River separates the main part of Washington DC from its impoverished suburbs, so connecting its banks plays an important social role. But physical connection alone is not enough here: the first bridge in this place appeared at the end of the 18th century, and now there are as many as three completely new bridges on 11th Street. But to make travel convenient and enjoyable for any citizen, including the socially vulnerable, an attractive and “unifying” public space was required. It was for this purpose that a competition was held in 2014, in which OMA and landscape architects OLIN (
we wrote about the competition here).
The authors of the project believe that this will be the first public space in Washington, where the bridge will become a “destination”, a park over a river, and not a transit facility. Access to the green space will stimulate the physical activity of citizens, as well as increase the "social capital".
The park-bridge is conceived at the same time as a community center for local residents, a place of rest after work for employees of nearby companies, and a center of attraction for tourists. Towards the sides of the coast, two platforms will rise like springboards from which one can observe the surroundings. In the middle, the main square is conceived for celebrations, temporary markets, theatrical performances. Shaded areas for all sorts of activities will be located under the "trampolines", and they will end with waterfalls.
It should be noted that
The park bridge was also proposed by OMA in 2013 for Bordeaux, but the most famous story of such an idea is associated with London, where the Garden Bridge of Thomas Heatherwick not only remained on paper, but also became the subject of a big scandal with wasted taxpayer money. One of the reasons for the collapse of the project, which was actively supported by Boris Johnson during his tenure as mayor, was its commercial and private orientation - despite budget funding. Therefore, in response, alternative, "critical" projects were created, including those from respected authors.
