Will San Diego Be Getting Freeway Lids?

A nonprofit group run by San Diego architects and urban planners is proposing the city build bridge decks, also known as freeway lids.

San Diego Commons wants to build the freeway lids above Interstate 5 to reconnect central San Diego neighborhoods that were split apart when the interstates were built years ago.

According to the Los Angeles Times, the nonprofit is proposing building two over the I-5 in neighborhoods of Sherman Heights, East Village, Balboa Park, Bankers Hill, and Cortez Hill.

The board president of San Diego Commons, Roger Lewis, told the LA Times the freeway lids would reunite these communities.

“These [highways] bifurcate communities and isolate communities,” said Lewis. “By creating a place where people can meet, walk their dogs, providing passive recreational areas, then you’re going to be able to mend … the gash in the community. It creates the threads to pull networks back together.”

While the interstate highways made it easier for people to drive throughout the country, they also ripped apart several urban neighborhoods and sliced through mainly low-income and nonwhite residential areas. This means they were isolated from surrounding communities and economic opportunity, explains the LA Times.

San Diego Commons is currently presenting the proposal to community groups to encourage input and support from residents.