The Kinder Land Bridge will be open for the public for the first time at the Biggest Picnic in Texas this Saturday.
The bridge is part of a 10-year plan for design and construction at the Memorial Park Conservancy. Council Member Abbie Kamin, who represents the Memorial Park neighborhood, shared her experience on the bridge.
"We're standing on top right now of Memorial Drive and you can't hear the cars. It's beautiful," she said.
The land bridge is a 100-acre area built over several lanes of traffic underneath the park. Attached to the land bridge, the park constructed the Cyvia and Melvyn Wolff Prairie as well.
The bridge and prairie are meant to provide Houstonians with new areas to explore, and safe crossing for park users. The conservancy said on their website both will benefit wildlife and will help the city manage stormwater.
The bridge and prairie were made possible by a $70 million gift from Kinder Foundation. The gift was the largest private donation given to the Houston Park system in 2018.
Kay Porter is the widow of former Memorial Park Chair, James Porter. She attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Kinder Land Bridge in place of her husband who she said was there when the project started.
"I was just so proud to be here and to see what came from his and many other people's vision as well," she said. "I'm deeply touched."
Memorial Park Conservancy plans to raise the remaining funds needed to complete the ten-year plan projects by 2024, the 100th anniversary of the founding of Memorial Park.
The park will host what they call the Biggest Picnic in Texas on Saturday to celebrate the completion of the Kinder Land Bridge. The festivities will start at 10 a.m.
