UL Lafayette: CDW:I-49 Connector: The Garden

				I-49 Connector: The Garden


				BACK \| NEXT TOPICS introduction public process case studies alignments garden urbanism alt. street links public realm neighborhoods lighting sound study public art conclusion recognition	The opinions expressed in the charrettes and meetings reinforced the role of this project as the new threshold into the city and parish of Lafayette. Each alignment focused on specific areas within the I-49 Connector including northside, downtown, and Beaver Park. Northside and Beaver Park became gate pieces for each alignment, signaling an entrance or exit for Lafayette. The project was approximately six miles in length and offered the opportunity to connect rural landscapes at Lafayette's northern and southern edges. These rural landscapes could be extended through the I-49 Connector, allowing linear green spaces to traverse the city. This would allow the garden to impact the city on territorial, urban, and pedestrian scales. On a territorial scale, the cloverleaf intersection of I-49 and I-10 could be a national marker for the city of Lafayette. I-10 runs from Jacksonville, Florida, to Los Angeles, California. I-49 is a NAFTA highway and will run from New Orleans, Louisiana, to Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Lafayette sits at the intersection of these two highways. On a city scale, the garden could become a green corridor marking the transition from highway to city, making this civic space the "living room" from the city of Lafayette. The garden would integrate existing vegetation in the connector with new indigenous landscaping. Beaver Park, located on the southernmost end, was viewed as a catalyst for this original panorama. The facility was designed with three distinct levels for experiencing the green space at different heights and speeds. The traveler passing through Lafayette on the I-49 Connector would view the green space from above, gliding through the tree canopy and seeing special vistas of the city beyond. The traveler on the Evangeline Thruway, engaging the garden at grade at a reduced speed, would be offered views of the park and events. And finally, the pedestrian, separated from the automobile, would experience the green corridor leisurely on foot. This corridor could be programmed with community vegetable gardens, a farmers' market, walkways, recreational facilities, and running and bicycle paths. Beaver Park could be expanded as a recreation facility with a riverwalk and cultural functions. It could also connect to the City Park by an underground walkway and the riverwalk. To break up the flat terrain and the potentially over-scaled size of the 22-foot highway, the landscape could be molded with berms, hills, and valleys. Where the interstate's alignment intersects with particular places and notable architecture, other integration strategies would be employed. At St. Genevieve's Church and in certain commercial districts, walls and berms would be used to mask the interstate and to negotiate the transition between highway and architecture. In addition, public spaces were designed with landscape and fountains as buffers for noise. Many of the walls constructed as buffers around the city would also provide a backdrop for other purposes, such as advertising and public art. On-grade parking could be housed beneath the I-49 structure. The proposed north and south entries will be marked by gate pieces signifying Lafayette. Exits from the facility would serve as special markers indicating a transition from the linear park into the city. Within the RR-4 alignment the underpasses at Johnston Street, as well as the underpass at Second and Third Streets, have been designed as special entry spaces with terraces and landscaping. Major arterials and local streets were redesigned with boulevards and landscaping to join the I-49 Connector to the fabric of the city. The I-49 Connector also allows Johnston Street to become a tree-lined boulevard that could become a major entry to the downtown area. A local and regional light rail system sharing the same right of way as the interstate could also be integrated into the infrastructure. The elevated structure presented an opportunity for the Workshop to explore other alternatives of structural support. The Workshop collaborated with a structural engineer and studies a variety of forms and materials. Designs for the structural supports also included the use of color and different textures for the concrete surfaces. Structural forms were investigated that could contain landscape elements and accommodate mass transit facilities. The pubic charrettes revealed that an interest existed in incorporating a variety of structural forms, including those resembling crawfish. Integration of architecture within the facility was also explored with the intelligent transportation Systems building incorporated into the structure.

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Document last revised Thursday, April 22, 2004 10:30 AM