How to make it fit?

I fear that without some really creative planning, whatever goes into the Obey Creek space, that it will become an island, connected only to the rest of Chapel Hill and surrounding areas by automobile and the occasional bike and adventuresome walker. 15-501 is not just a highway; it's a wall of isolation. How can we deal proactively with this? Bury 15-501 under an esplanade? Construct an esplanade over it? I do not think it is imaginable to think that a mere pedestrian crossing is going to address the island problem. We need a creative conversation NOW about this.
To see what I think we want to avoid, go spend a few minutes opposite East 54 and think about how pedestrian friendly are the crossings to the other side.It's as though pedestrians are asked to play a game of Russian Roulette hoping to make it across to the other side safely.