30 Crossing is the largest and most expensive project that the Arkansas Department of Transportation has ever undertaken. It affects many communities but has an enormous impact on the urban fabric of downtown Little Rock. This competition is intended to bring focus on how the interstate highway interacts with the city and provide visionary ideas which can influence, or affect, the future design of how our city responds to the highway.
When completed, the interstate improvements will result in a dramatically different landscape presenting many challenges as well as opportunities for redevelopment. An expansive 20-acre open space partially covered by the new interstate, and restricted to the development of parks, recreation, and vehicular amenities will fill the void previously occupied by the interstate on and off-ramps. Envision 30-Crossing will challenge designers to create solutions to the impacts of the 30-Crossing project on pedestrian connectivity, greenspace programming, supporting adjacent economic activity, and activating a new public space beneath the interstate. The design competition will be an opportunity for interested creatives to provide visionary ideas of how to activate these areas and create an iconic place for the City of Little Rock.
