One of the nation’s best skate parks is seeing the consequences of plans for a new Louisville-to-Indiana ramp as part of Spaghetti Junction. Roughly one-third of the park will be relocated. Construction of the new ramps began on May 1st and with it came the demolition of parts of the skate park standing in its way.

Initially the plan was to demolish part of the park and build the new highway. However, members of the Louisville Metro Parks Foundation took notice to which parts of the park would be removed and decided it had to be saved. These parts include the most extreme sections of the skate park, such as the full pipe, that make it one of the best in the nation.

The original building cost of the entire park was $2 million in 2002 and the cost of relocation of only one-third of the park is just over that at roughly $2.1 million, which will be funded by the bridges project responsible for the construction of the new ramps. One of the reasons why the renovation is so expensive is because the new location sits on top of a gas line and sewer which need to be dealt with before construction can begin.

Parts of the park that are not being worked on will remain open to the public and separated from the construction site by a temporary wall so that people may continue to enjoy the park while staying safe. Different areas of the park will open and close as the project moves along in the coming months. “It’s kind of a bummer that this is all happening right at the beginning of summer,” said skateboarder Mason Mivelaz (11), ” but I’m glad that parts are staying open.”