Freeway removal

[8] One of the earliest examples of a freeway-to-boulevard conversion was the transformation of the West Side Elevated Highway into an urban boulevard in New York City.

[13] Other early freeway removal projects occurred in Portland, Oregon and Milwaukee, Wisconsin that ultimately reduced traffic, spurred economic development, and allowed for the creation of new neighborhoods and commercial districts.

In Toronto, Ontario, the easternmost portion of the Gardiner Expressway, which was located between Don Road and Leslie Street, was demolished in 2000 and replaced with an at-grade urban boulevard with traffic lights, railroad crossings and a bike trail.

[14][15] In Boston, Massachusetts, the Central Artery (Interstate 93) ran through the center of the city on an elevated green viaduct from its opening in the 1950s until 2005.

During the 1990s and early 2000s, a $15 billion project known as the Big Dig relocated the Central Artery into tunnels underneath downtown Boston; the old viaduct was demolished, and its path was reclaimed for a surface boulevard and park space.

Cherry blossom in the Tom McCall Waterfront Park , created with the removal of the Harbor Drive in Portland, Oregon .
Cheonggyecheon in Seoul , South Korea was formerly the route for a major elevated highway; It was completed in 1976 and removed in 2005.
Section of the Embarcadero Freeway in San Francisco, California during demolition (May 1991)
The Embarcadero following the freeway removal (2011)