Sacramento could get a park over I-5 to connect downtown to the riverfront

A rendering of a proposed park that would connect downtown Sacramento with the riverfront by covering a portion of Interstate 5.

Listen to the full CapRadio Insight interview here.

A new plan seeks to connect downtown Sacramento with the city’s riverfront by building a deck park over a stretch of Interstate 5 between Capitol Mall and O Street.

The proposal, called the Sacramento Stitch Park Riverfront Reconnection Project, is supported by the Downtown Sacramento Partnership and Rep. Doris Matsui, who has requested $5 million in federal funding to help with planning efforts.

As it is, the city’s downtown is separated from Old Sacramento and the waterfront by I-5. Backers hope the proposed 4-acre park would make the river more accessible for pedestrians, increase green space in the area and provide opportunities for infill development.

The area is also historically and culturally significant, where neighborhoods such as Sacramento Japantown were demolished and residents displaced during construction of the freeway. Planners across the country hope to use federal funds to reconnect neighborhoods that were divided during past infrastructure projects to begin rebuilding lost connections.

Scott Ford, deputy director of the Downtown Sacramento Partnership, spoke with CapRadio’s Kate Wolffe on Insight to talk about the project’s vision and how it plans to reconnect communities.