The CityArchRiver project was a monumental undertaking from the beginning. As one of the lead designers said, “it was about finishing the park in the spirit in which it was intended.”
The $380 million renovation of Gateway Arch National Park (GANP) and its surrounding areas in downtown St. Louis was a historic partnership between the private sector and federal, state, and local government agencies that continues today. Through a unique partnership of public and private funding, many agencies and the St. Louis community came together to completely change how visitors and the region experienced the Gateway City’s defining calling card to the world: the Gateway Arch.
One of the defining elements of the project was the Park Over the Highway which, for the first time in the Arch’s history, created one seamless, welcoming, and accessible park experience—stretching from the Old Courthouse all the way to the Gateway Arch. The Park Over the Highway capped a 6-lane sunken interstate highway that separated the Arch from the City it would come to represent. Now, instead of crossing six lanes of traffic and a highway, GANP is fully connected to Downtown St. Louis by a beautiful, landscaped park connection.
Project Details
Infrastructure Type | Highway |
Status | Open / Ongoing |
Opening | 2015–2018 |
Size | 91 acres |
Design Team | Cooper Robertson, James Carpenter Design Associates, Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, Trivers |
Management | Bi-State Development Agency, City of St. Louis, Gateway Arch Park Foundation, Great Rivers Greenway, Jefferson National Parks Association, Missouri Department of Transportation, National Park Service |
Project Leader | Ryan McClure |