After more than a decade of planning and prep work, construction for the 11th Street Bridge Park is scheduled to begin in 2023. The park, situated on the pillars of an old highway bridge, will connect Navy Yard and Capitol Hill with historic Anacostia and Fairlawn when it opens to the public in 2025. – The Washington Informer

The $92 million park will span a former bridge — and send real estate prices soaring. A home buyers club is helping residents cash in rather than get displaced. – Reasons to be cheerful

“The park aims to be more than a place for recreation and relaxation: The goal is to knit together the two communities on either end of the span without displacing people in the historically disenfranchised neighborhoods on its eastern side. Residents have been heavily involved in planning, says Scott Kratz, senior vice president for Building Bridges Across the River, a Ward 8-based nonprofit that has been one of the main forces behind the park.” – Washingtonian

“According to a release from the NCPC, the park plans to include a café, a picnic garden complete with hammocks, an environmental education center, a 11,000-square foot play area, two overlooks, and other attractions. An amphitheater is also planned for construction right next to the existing Anacostia Riverwalk Trail.” -DCist

Kratz and his organization, Building Bridges Across the River, are trying to ensure that this effort doesn’t end up hurting the communities it will link, especially the historically disenfranchised neighborhoods of Anacostia, Fairlawn and Barry Farm east of the river. That’s because the 11th Street Bridge Park… – Bloomberg

“People in Ward 8 wanted this project, as small as it was, to be different. They wanted it to enrich the Black community that was already there, not accelerate an influx of white people. They wanted the value created by the bridge park to be invested in their neighborhoods. They wanted to own their own homes. They wanted well-paid jobs. They wanted art and music — and artists and musicians as neighbors. They wanted fresh food and safe streets.

It was a lot to ask of a bridge. But Mr. Kratz quickly learned that he couldn’t just build a bridge and ignore the needs of the community that contained it.” – The New York Times

A $90 million project would add educational and recreational space atop piers and pilings from the old 11th Street Bridge – The Washington Post

The 130,000-square-foot D.C. park is expected to draw 1 million visitors a year. – Washington Business Journal

According to Scott Kratz, senior vice president, Building Bridges Across the River and director of 11th Street bridge park project, these art works “help embellish the park’s soul and ensure it will be reflective of the community.” – The Dirt

“We’re thrilled that the curatorial committee selected artists whose designs help realize the vision for the 11th Street Bridge Park supporting the community’s cultural, environmental, and economic health,” said Scott Kratz, Senior Vice President, Building Bridges Across the River & Director, 11th Street Bridge Park. – EastCity Art