6 cities that did the impossible - turned their freeways into parks

The times of the urbanized future are ending, people are increasingly looking for quiet, pacifying corners of nature. Now the authorities are trying to turn the gassed areas into centers of urban activity.

The experience of some cities that abandoned highways in favor of parks and pedestrian zones is very successful. The examples below are at various stages of implementation. Most projects are being developed in America, which shows interest in the European policy of organizing traffic flows.

Harbor Drive, Portland, USA

In 1974, the elimination of the Harbor Drive Motorway began. On the banks of the Willamette River, a park was named, named after Tom McCall. The main attraction is a fountain of hundreds of jets of water beating on the sidewalk. There is also the Battleship memorial with a time capsule sealed at its base, a boat harbor, attractions and hotels.

So the motorway looked before liquidation:

And so after:

Cheongcheon, Seoul, South Korea

During active development, the river flowing through the city center was walled up by building a highway on top. Forty years later, it was decided to make a recreational zone instead of a highway. Along the way, they unloaded the city center from cars, actually transferring people to buses and subways.

Now many people come to the river to relax, the level of gas contamination in the area has decreased.

Highway Pier, San Francisco, USA

The idea to reorganize the highway arose in 1980, but in fact it happened after the 1989 earthquake, when it was very expensive to restore the highway.

Now a huge park with pedestrian and bicycle roads is located on this place, it offers a wonderful view of the San Francisco Bay.

Madrid Rio, Madrid, Spain

In 2000, restoration of the banks of the Manzanares River and several historically important cultural monuments began: Puente de Segovia, the oldest bridge in the city, Hermita Virgen del Puerto and Puente del Rey. The task was not an easy one, because the M-30 highway crossed the river, but then it was decided to redirect it to underground tunnels. The work lasted 11 years, but now residents of Madrid have a place to walk and play sports.

This is how the district looked until 2000:

And so it looks now:

Park East Highway, Milwaukee, USA

Near the center of Milwaukee in the 60s it was planned to build a motorway and park. But the construction came across unexpected obstacles: the residents of the center began to resent the noise from the construction and the increased flow of cars. The highway was unfinished, and by 2002 it was completely dismantled, turning it into Park East Corridor Park.

Now the area of this park is 60 hectares; new buildings are being constructed on its territory.

Alaskan Highway, Seattle, USA

Alaska highway initially did not want to clean. But in 2001 it was damaged by an earthquake, so they decided to carry an underground highway in its place.