The long-awaited project by the Memorial Park Conservancy is making its traffic debut!
Today, Memorial Park Conservancy is celebrating a milestone in the construction of their visionary Land Bridge and Prairie project with the opening of their eastbound tunnel.
The tunnel system as with the Land Bridge and Prairie project is a part of MPC’s ten-year plan. Begun in 2018, a $70 million gift from the Kinder Foundation – then the single largest parks grant in Houston history – catalyzed the project. Since then, the partnership has extended to include the Houston Parks and Recreation Department, Uptown Development Authority, and the City of Houston.
With construction slated to finish later this year, the Land Bridge and Prairie is a 100-acre greenspace that features two distinct 35-foot-high hills that which creates a “natural” bridge over Memorial Drive. Its purpose is to re-unite the north and south sides of the park, promote regional biodiversity, and manage stormwater – all while creating a new community green space and giving visitors scenic views of the area.
Carved out of those hills are a series of tunnels – two going eastbound, two westbound. The phased opening of which began in February, with the eastbound tunnel opening today. The rest of the tunnels are slated to open by April.
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