The 11th Street Bridge Park—which will link Capitol Hill and Navy Yard with the Anacostia and Fairlawn neighborhoods—is slated to open in two to three years. We already know that plans include an amphitheater, an environmental education center, and a “hammock grove.” But last week, the Building Bridges Across the River team released new renderings that give a clearer sense of what the park will actually look like.
“It’s tangible. People can reach out and touch when the opening is going to be,” said 11th Street Bridge Park Director Scott Kratz.
Two freeways and the Anacostia River currently separate the neighborhoods. The X-shaped park will reuse piers from the old 11th Street Bridge to create a new, elevated green space filled with native trees. Here are some new views, plus more details on what to expect:
Free Wi-Fi
Comcast is teaming up with the project to create fiber infrastructure that will bring high-speed Wi-Fi to all corners of the park. Visitors will even be able to borrow laptops from a station in the park.
New health and wellness strategies
The Building Bridges Across the River team has laid out multiple initiatives for affordable housing, workforce training, small business enterprise, and arts and culture—with the aim of preventing the displacement of local community members. To date, Kratz says his team has invested $91 million in these strategies, which is about the same amount of money it’s going to cost to build the park itself. In the latest edition of the plan, there is a section on Health and Wellness. One of the major projects focuses on the accessibility of the Anacostia River. “We’re on the cusp of having the Anacostia be swimmable and fishable by 2025, and we want to make sure that residents across the district have the resources they need to learn how to swim, kayak, or canoe if they want to”, said Kratz.
An opening timeline
The project, which has been in the works for 10 years, is finally expected to break ground this September. If all goes as planned, it is slated to open to the public in late 2026 or early 2027.
Building Bridges’ 10th annual Anacostia River Festival will take place on May 4, and will celebrate the groundbreaking with a parade and a variety of hands-on nature-focused activities.
