The National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) has approved final designs for the $92 million 11th Street Park Bridge to connect Anacostia to the Navy Yard in Southeast Washington, D.C.
The bridge will double as an elevated public park, with green spaces, trails, landscaped flora, and a variety of activities and facilities, Commercial Observer (CO) has reported.
The final approval of the design by architectural team OMA + OLIN this month (October) concludes a process that started with a national competition led by Building Bridges Across the River and the District Office of Planning, in coordination with the District Department of Transportation (DDOT), and an initial conceptual design in 2014.
The NCPC reviewed the concept plan in 2017 and the preliminary design in 2020, and the design team has continued to retool the plan.
“This is such an exciting project for the District,” Beth White, NCPC’s chair, said in a statement. “The park design is very innovative, and it is a public space that will better connect the communities on both sides of the Anacostia River. I am certain that this will be a space for everyone to enjoy and come together.”
When complete, the park will sit atop leftover pilings and piers from the bridge and include an 11,000-sq. ft. play area, a café, a garden with hammocks, and an environmental education center. Additionally, an amphitheater and kayak and canoe launch is planned next to the existing Anacostia Riverwalk Trail, and there will be two scenic overlooks: Capitol Overlook on the north end and Anacostia Overlook on the south end.
The 1.2 acres that comprise the Navy Yard side of the park will feature trails and landscaped green space, while the Anacostia side will house an urban agriculture garden, according to the DDOT, CO reported.
