Bridging the gap between downtown and LaSalle Park/Soulard

When I-64 40 was built it cut off downtown from city neighborhoods to the south. LaSalle Park became an entity of its own when it was separated from the rest of Soulard by I-44. Since then the neighborhood has seemed isolated and been in decline. Its separation could become an opportunity for the neighborhood to redefine itself as a transition between downtown and Soulard. The first step is to transform the I-64 overpass from a bridge that gives you anxiety to cross into a gateway that invites you to the otherside. Here is how the overpass appears looking north into downtown:

The bridge is flanked by a sea of parking for Busch stadium, which is mostly hidden by the bridge. 8th St has four lanes that get little use outside the beginning and end of baseball games. The sidewalks are too narrow for the kind of foot traffic that the stadium creates and the one on the right is cut off by the supports for I-64. Widening the sidewalks would make the street much safer for pedestrians. Converting two lanes into on-street parking could help alleviate game day parking shortages. The final touch would be a new facade for the bridge that would make it into a gateway instead of a moat. These changes would look something like this (only nicer):

With the new look and added parking perhaps the parking lots along 8th street would develop into more restaurants and sportsbars. You cant beat the location (at least not while Ballpark Village remains a parking lot).