Turning Divides into Connections

When highways were first carved through the hearts of American cities, the unintended consequences were immediate and lasting: neighborhoods severed, walkability diminished, commerce redirected and communities divided.

Today, a new generation of infrastructure projects is stitching these places back together — not with more concrete, but with green space.

Across the U.S., cities are increasingly embracing highway deck lids, engineered platforms that cap freeways and replace them with recreation areas, plazas and public amenities. WSP has emerged as a national leader in designing and delivering these transformative projects.

“Every city wants them,” said Bob Brown, WSP senior vice president and longtime transportation leader in Dallas. “They transform urban areas, making them more attractive for residents and businesses and encouraging vibrant, walkable neighborhoods.”

Dallas is home to one of the most recognized deck parks in Texas and is now preparing to open a second.

When Klyde Warren Park opened in 2012 over the Woodall Rodgers Freeway, it instantly became a national model. As a former Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) manager, Brown helped get the project moving more than 15 years ago.

“Klyde Warren Park outperformed every early expectation, igniting significant economic investment and driving surrounding development far beyond initial forecasts,” Brown said.

On the city’s south side, Halperin Park is following in those footsteps. Set to open in Spring 2026, the five-acre cap over Interstate 35 (I-35) designed by WSP for TxDOT aims to revitalize an underserved neighborhood long separated from economic opportunity.

“In Dallas there’s long been a clear divide between the north and south,” Brown said. “It will be compelling to see how Halperin Park begins to influence and uplift those neighborhoods in the coming years.”

The momentum is spreading statewide. Houston, Austin and El Paso are exploring deck lid concepts of their own — a sign that Texas cities increasingly see these structures as catalysts for revitalization.

Across the country, deck lids are helping mend fractures created by mid‑century highway construction, creating valuable urban space where none previously existed.

Denver’s Central 70 project is a recent prominent example. As part of the 10‑mile corridor reconstruction, a four‑acre park was built atop a section of Interstate 70, reconnecting the Elyria and Swansea neighborhoods.

As the project’s lead engineering firm, WSP helped create an active public space featuring playgrounds, soccer fields, gathering areas and ADA‑accessible crossings. Completed in 2023, the cap turned a long‑standing physical barrier into a unified corridor that strengthens community cohesion.

The Over-Under: Lady Bird Lake

Not every site requires capping a highway from above. Sometimes community development is better served under the highway, such as with the Lady Bird Lake component of the I‑35 Capital Express Central project in Austin.

This initiative focuses on transforming the area beneath and around the highway bridge crossing into a safer, more attractive and better-connected public space. WSP designed improvements to the Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail, enhancing its continuity where it passes under the interstate and linking it seamlessly to new pedestrian bridges.

Project upgrades include the north shore environment with aesthetic lighting, picnic areas, shoreline stabilization, public-art-ready walls and improved water access, while also making room for future kayak docks. There are also two new pedestrian-only bridges with shade structures inspired by Austin’s bat colonies.

Together, these enhancements revitalize what was previously a utilitarian, parking-lot-like area, turning it into an activated waterfront space that supports recreation, mobility and community life.

“Lady Bird Lake shows that when capping isn’t feasible, highways can still be softened, activated and humanized from below,” said Arash Saeedi, PE, vice president and local Transportation business leader at WSP in the U.S. “The impact these upgrades will have on the quality of life for Austin motorists and residents alike will be profound.”

Despite their benefits, deck lids face an unavoidable challenge: funding.

Because these structures do not improve a highway’s operational purpose, many state Departments of Transportation (DOTs) do not pay for the park or public space created above them.

“DOTs are in the business of moving people and goods — that’s what they’re built to do,” Brown said. “TxDOT won’t spend its dollars on park design or construction, but if local partners step up to fund the deck, TxDOT will work with them to bring it to life.”

Because of this, alternative delivery often is essential. Public-private partnerships (P3s) have become a common path forward. Central 70 was delivered through a design-build-finance-operate-maintain contract, highlighting the importance of integrated delivery and long-term stewardship.

Deck lid financing typically involves four components:

• capital funding for the highway structure,
• capital funding for the park or deck uses,
• long‑term highway operations funding, and
• long‑term park operations funding.

While DOTs typically cover highway elements, cities must determine how to build and maintain the park land above. Funding sources can include property‑value increases spurred by the project, real estate development, park concessions, sales and income tax revenue, city parks budgets, Business Improvement Districts and philanthropic organizations.

Strong community leadership is essential. Business coalitions, chambers of commerce and advocacy groups often drive successful projects. Business groups in Dallas championed lids, building confidence in their economic and social value. That momentum helped the Southern Gateway Public Green Foundation raise $65 million to fund and maintain Halperin Park.

“You need to demonstrate the economic upside and the quality-of-life benefits,” Brown added. “Once you have that hook, you can motivate local investors and move these projects along.”

As Texas cities grow and communities demand reconnection, deck lids and under‑highway parks represent a shift in how Texas thinks about infrastructure. No longer viewed solely as mobility assets, highways are increasingly being integrated into the social, economic and environmental fabric of urban life.

As Brown puts it, the value is undeniable — and increasingly, unavoidable:

“They transform urban areas for the people who live and work there, and they create places people want to visit,” he said. “These previously overlooked spaces are the new frontier for civic life.”