Building Bridges Across The River - Our Story | Community-Driven Design

Our Story

From the beginning, community engagement and feedback have driven the conceptualization and design of the Bridge Park. The first two years were filled with hundreds of neighborhood meetings on both sides of the river leading to the identification of programming concepts for the park. These concepts were seamlessly woven into the park’s design by architects OMA + OLIN who have been working with the community to develop a world-class public space for recreation, arts, and environmental education.

The National Park Service and the 11th Street Bridge Park present the third annual Anacostia River Festival, a premier event of the 2017 National Cherry Blossom Festival, on Sunday, April 9, 2017 at Anacostia Park and the surrounding neighborhood in Washington, DC.

Rings at Park | Building Briges

The $400,000 commissioned piece will help orient and invite visitors into the park and welcome neighbors home to historic Anacostia

A red bridge, part of the Building Bridges Across The River - Our Story initiative, is showcased against a pristine white background.

A rendering of a community-driven building with people in it, showcasing the Building Bridges Across The River - Our Story.

A community-driven group of people are sitting on the grass in front of a river, building bridges across the river as part of "Our Story" initiative.

An artist's rendering of a walkway with people walking on it, showcasing our Community-Driven Design.

A group of people, driven by community-driven design, walking on a bridge in a city.

An artist's rendering of a community-driven design for a pedestrian bridge over a river.

An aerial view of a park with people walking around, showcasing our Community-Driven Design in collaboration with Building Bridges Across The River - Our Story.

An aerial view of a park with people walking around, showcasing a community-driven design approach inspired by Building Bridges Across The River - Our Story.

An artist's rendering of a bridge over a body of water, showcasing Community-Driven Design.

An artist's rendering of a sidewalk with people on it, depicting a community-driven design.

Building Bridges Across The River - Our Story is a community-driven design project where a man and woman jog together on a bridge over a river.

A group of people, driven by community-driven design principles, are sitting on a grassy area near a river.

Building Bridges Across The River - Our Story comes to life through an artist's rendering of a green space buzzing with activity as people engage in community-driven design by walking around.

A rendering of the interior of a building with tables and chairs, showcasing our community-driven design.

A community-driven design of a school building with children in front of it, building bridges across the river.

An artist's rendering of a school bus in front of a bridge embracing Community-Driven Design.

An artist's rendering of a garden with people walking around it, showcasing the community-driven design by Building Bridges Across The River - Our Story.

An artist's rendering of a bridge over a river, showcasing our Community-Driven Design.

Building Bridges Across The River - An artist's rendering of a bridge over a body of water.

A couple sits on a blanket in front of a bridge, symbolizing the building bridges across the river aspect of their story. The scene captures the essence of community-driven design as they enjoy the

An artist's rendering of a bridge over a park with people walking on it, showcasing our community-driven design in building bridges across the river.

An artist's rendering of a hammock in Building Bridges Across The River - Our Story Park, showcasing community-driven design.

A diagram of a bridge with a green area, showcasing Building Bridges Across The River and our Community-Driven Design.

11th Street Bridge Park

As the old 11th Street Bridge that connected D.C.’s Capitol Hill / Navy Yard and historic Anacostia / Fairlawn neighborhoods has been replaced, the District government and Building Bridges Across the River are transforming its aged infrastructure into the city’s first elevated park: a new venue for healthy recreation, environmental education, and the arts.

The 11th Street Bridge Park will span the capital’s cityscape and include community generated programming including: outdoor performance spaces; playgrounds; urban agriculture; an Environmental Education Center with classrooms to teach students about river systems; public art that tells the rich history of the region; and kayak and canoe launches. Bound by the Washington Navy Yard on one side and the National Park Service’s Anacostia Park on the other, the Bridge Park will be a destination for some, a pedestrian or bicycle route for others and an iconic architectural symbol across the Anacostia River for the city.

Transforming The Bridge

The 11th Street Bridge Park will be built on the original pillars of the old road bridge crossing the Anacostia River between wards 6 and 8.

East bank of the Anacostia River

A bridge with a red ribbon on it, symbolizing the community-driven design and collaboration of Building Bridges Across The River - Our Story.

We are transforming an old bridge into a new civic space by reusing the old piers as the park’s foundation.

The park will be adjacent to the current 11th Street Bridge vehicular bridge.

The park will be adjacent to the current 11th Street Bridge vehicular bridge.

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