Seeing is believing
With the first of three bridges due to break ground in December, progress on the trinity river corridor project will soon be clear
Lisa Tanner
Staff Writer
Work is progressing on the massive Trinity River Corridor Project -- but not everyone has noticed.
The $1 billion-plus project aims to transform part of the Trinity River Corridor and 6,000 acres of the Trinity Forest into an urban park and recreation area, as well as improve the transportation corridor around downtown.
As those involved in the project speak to the community, they're often asked the same question: When will it begin?
The answer is that work actually began several years ago, and much has been done already to move the major components of the project forward.
But there will be no missing that progress when the first of three signature bridges starts to go up following its planned groundbreaking in December.Not only will the bridges be among the most visible components of the project, they will play a pivotal role in improving transportation in the downtown area.
The transportation improvements will be made by the Texas Department of Transportation, the North Texas Tollway Authority and the city of Dallas, with funding coming from sources including local, state and federal funds.
Another major component of the project will be Trinity Parkway, a toll road that will have four lanes on one section and six in another and will relieve traffic from U.S. 175 on the southern side to State Highway 183 to the north. Construction of the road is expected to begin in 2007 and finish in 2011. Engineering firm Halff Associates is handling the environmental-impact statement for the project on behalf of the North Texas Tollway Authority.
The Trinity River Corridor transportation improvements are expected to generate more than $10 billion in economic development during the next 25 years and spur the creation of 7,500 permanent jobs in Dallas.
Overall, the Trinity River Corridor Project also will provide recreational opportunities including hike-and-bike trails, interpretive and equestrian centers and a water rapids course.
The plan adds environmental benefits while increasing flood protection for some areas and promoting commercial development of the surrounding land.
And, after years of often-heated debate, the project is solidly under way.
One of the first components completed was a boat launch for recreational use at Sylvan Avenue, which opened in January 2002. And development of the lower chain of river wetlands is currently under way.
It's been a long road. The first public discussions about the project began more than 10 years ago and, in May 1998, city of Dallas voters approved about $246 million for the project. Additional funding will come from state, federal and other agencies as well as private fund-raising efforts.
The payoff is expected to be immense. City leaders look for the full slate of enhancements to the Trinity area to boost Dallas' image by creating a trademark venue and a new look for the city's downtown area.
"It will change the face of downtown Dallas," said Alice Murray, president of the Central Dallas Association. "The goal is to make it our Central Park. But it will help the city in more ways than recreation because transportation will be improved."
With downtown Dallas becoming more of a residential neighborhood every year, the Trinity River area will offer a key component of support to that neighborhood.
"It will be an amenity not just for downtown but for the region," Murray said. "And anything that draws people toward downtown is a wonderful thing."
The project also will spur commercial development activity, which will spell tax and revenue for the city, she said.
Thirty-year fiscal benefits of the land use change alone are expected to benefit Dallas County, Dallas Independent School District and the city of Dallas to the tune of $279.1 million.
Signature bridges
The project will include three signature bridges, designed by Spanish architect and engineer Santiago Calatrava.
Currently, "There's a lot of activity and some dirt flying," said Rebecca Dugger, director of the Trinity River Corridor Project for the city of Dallas.
Design work is under way on the first bridge, which will be named the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge in recognition of a $12 million donation to the project by Hunt Petroleum Corp. in honor of Margaret Hunt Hill, civic leader and daughter of company founder H.L. Hunt. A December groundbreaking is planned, Dugger said.
The bridge is being built first because it has already gone through the schematic design and the environmental assessment by the Texas Department of Transportation. It was identified by the 1998 Texas Department of Transportation investment study as a needed reliever route to carry traffic from West Dallas and Oak Cliff to the major freeways and into downtown.
Construction on the bridge is expected to be complete in 2008. The bridge will include six lanes for vehicles and feature cables attached to a 400-foot central arch that will support the structure. The total estimated cost is $93 million, with the city's contribution capped at $28 million, which will come from the 1998 bond funds. The North Central Texas Council of Governments will contribute $13 million, the Texas Transportation Commission $17 million, the federal government $7 million and TxDOT will make up the remainder.
Although Calatrava has been selected as the prime consultant on the bridge, a contracting company has not yet been determined. The construction portion of the project is estimated to cost about $63 million.
The Margaret Hill Hunt Bridge will serve as an extension of Woodall Rodgers and will be built between the Continental Avenue and Union Pacific Railroad bridges. By linking the existing Woodall Rodgers freeway across the river to Singleton Boulevard, it will ease traffic between West Dallas and North Oak Cliff through downtown.
The design for the Interstate 30 bridge was unveiled in November 2004. It includes a center arch rising 300 feet above the roadway and a 1,000-foot center span and will be named in honor of local philanthropist Margaret McDermott.
Design and construction cost is estimated at $150 million with funding coming from sources including Dallas County, federal and state agencies and local citizens.
Construction is anticipated to start in late 2006 with a mid-2010 opening of the bridge, which will improve east-west regional traffic flow through the area, including downtown Dallas.
To improve the north-south traffic flow, an I-35E bridge will be located between the existing Jefferson and Corinth bridges. It is expected to cost about $165 million but construction and opening estimates are not yet available.
Although the clearing of ground in the area isn't a big attention-getter, it is taking place and once work begins on the first bridge, "people will really take notice," Dugger said. Already there is a great deal of public interest, she added.
But certain components of the process take a great deal of time, such as an environmental-impact statement necessary before work can begin on Trinity Parkway.
The aim is to begin construction in 2007 on the road, which will help relieve traffic congestion in the I-30 and I-35E corridors, especially the Canyon, Mixmaster and Lower Stemmons areas. The parkway will extend from U.S. 175 in southeast Dallas to connect with S.H. 183 to the north.
Marketing Dallas
The Trinity project also will help those who market the city to visitors.
"It will be a tremendous asset as we sell the city of Dallas," said Phillip Jones, president and CEO of the Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau. Because large groups book their meetings many years in advance, "we're selling the future Dallas," he said, to groups that will hold their meetings here in 2010 and beyond.
"Visitors want to go where people are, and this will add an element to Dallas that we currently don't have," Jones said. The project will complement not only the Dallas Convention Center and downtown but also adjoining areas, including Victory Park, Uptown, Deep Ellum and the Arts District, he added.
"Dallas is in the middle of a renaissance and in five years people won't recognize Dallas. All great American cities reinvent themselves," he said.
City leaders have long known that more needed to be done with the Trinity River Corridor -- that it was too great an asset not to be utilized, said Craig Holcomb, executive director of the Trinity Commons Foundation and a former Dallas City Council member.
The Trinity Commons Foundation is a nonprofit group dedicated to advancing the improvements to the Trinity River Corridor.
"A $1 billion project takes a lot of time to plan," Holcomb said. But now that people can begin to see the project happening, that lends credibility to the effort and helps make it real, he said.
"This will help keep Dallas in the first tier of American cities," Holcomb said.
But it takes money. Which is where the Trinity Trust steps in, aiming to raise $110 million.
It was established by the Trinity Commons Foundation to raise private funds for the project. To date, the group has helped raise money for the design fees for the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge and also the I-30 bridge, said president Gail Thomas.
She's meeting with representatives of key families in the city to raise interest in the naming rights for other project landmarks, including lakes and even an island.
"It's an opportunity to remember the great, spirited people who contributed to the city," she said. "There is enormous interest in the project because it will change the way people live in Dallas."
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