Local residents working to renovate Salt Lake City overpass

SALT LAKE CITY — A small area beneath a freeway overpass in Salt Lake City is getting a facelift. The 18,000 square foot land sits by 200 West and Mead Avenue in the Central Ninth area.

Landen Kraczek helped organize a group of local residents secure a “Love Your Block” grant from the city.

“Started with people in the community seeing a space that was unused and underutilized, and really like a groundswell of just trying to get something incredible there.”

Kraczek said there were talks of turning the space into a dog park, a heating area, or even a pickleball court. Part of the inspiration came from similar spots around the world.

“There’s really cool parks underneath underpasses exactly like what we’re doing in Mumbai, in California, in Florida, in England.”

To start, the group hosted a cleanup to remove the fence and cut down tall weeds. They also received help from the Utah Department of Transportation, which donated paint for the concrete freeway pillars.

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