A Green roof-park for the Hollywood Freeway

The freeway is the new park?! Maybe, if the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce gets its way. The group's proposing a freeway park deck, running from Bronson Avenue to Wilton Place above the 101 Freeway. The project's name: Hollywood Freeway Central Park. (via groovy green)

Why a park there? For one, it'd mean "24 acres of new green space in Hollywood, directly adjacent to a high school currently under construction." The 101 runs below street level in that area, so the park deck would create "a brief tunnel for vehicular traffic while affording a street-level park for pedestrians." Plus, of course, there'd be environmental benefits:

In addition to the many obvious benefits of creating new park space, by placing a “cap” over one of the world’s most congested freeway system, the necessary ventilation system would be required to clean the air before re-circulating it back into the environment - creating a positive improvement in the air quality in Los Angeles.

From what I can tell so far, the project has broad-based support. Mayor Villaraigosa -- as well as all four are neighborhood councils -- are behind the plan. Anyone have objections to it? Whether you're for it or against it, you can weigh in at the Community-Wide Hollywood Central Park Meeting tomorrow:

When: Saturday, Jan. 26th, 9 am - 1 pm.
Where: Selma Elementary School - Auditorium, 6611 Selma Avenue, Los Angeles
RSVP: email rsvp@hfcp.org

Villaraigosa, LA City Council President Eric Garcetti, Councilmember Tom LaBonge, and Assemblymember Mike Feuer are all expected to represent. Oh, and there'll be free refreshments and lunch.

For more details about the plan, check out Militant Angeleno's posts; he's been following the park progress since June last year.

Image courtesy of hollywoodfreewaycentralpark.org