A River Runs Through It
December 8, 2014 11:31 AM
More than 16 years after Dallas voters approved $246 million of bonds for development of parks and a "parkway" between the levees of the Trinity River, the city still has work to do. The "parkway" has become a proposed high-speed toll road whose financing is still undetermined. Meanwhile, bond money is continuing to build bridges, trails and nature centers in the 10,000-acre area designated as the Trinity River Corridor. Image: WikipediaRelated Story: Dallas to Issue $530M in Only Deal of the Year
The Trinity River Corridor Project covers 20 miles or about 10,000 acres along the Trinity River that loops around downtown Dallas. The project includes flood control, transportation, environmental remediation and park development. Image: WRT
Gustavo Rios
The first of three Trinity River spans designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava was dedicated in 2012 as the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge. Two others will be built for interstate highway traffic. The bridges are part of the city's Trinity River Corridor project and the Texas Department of Transportation's Horseshoe Project designed to unsnarl traffic around downtown Dallas. Image: Dallas
With the opening of the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge, Dallas was able to convert the 81-year-old Continental Avenue Bridge into a walking bridge to host recreationalists and other groups. The bridge connects downtown to West Dallas, a part of the city that was once provided with few basic services. Image: KERA
Chessboards on the Continental Avenue Bridge invite passersby to sit by the river and strategize. The converted bridge opened to the public on Sunday, June 15, 2014 with a playground, a splash park, and lounge chairs.
Rendering depicts a lake on the Trinity River with observation area on the banks. While Dallas is seeking ways to enhance the recreational value of the once neglected river, it is also developing plans for a six-lane, high-speed tollway through the park. Image: Dallas
A former landfill in an area designated as the Great Trinity Forest will become the site of a semi-private golf course that is expected to host the Byron Nelson Invitational Golf Tournament. Image: Dallas
Cyclists ride a paved trail through the Great Trinity Forest, part of the Trinity River Corridor Project in Dallas. The forest is one of the largest in a major city in the United States. Image: Trinity Commons Foundation
An illegal dump site on the banks of the Trinity River in south Dallas has been cleaned up under the city's bond program and transformed into a nature center. Image: Trinity Commons Foundation
Rendering depicts the Margaret McDermott Bridge that is designed to carry traffic from Interstate 30 across the Trinity River. The $120 million bridge ties in with the Texas Department of Transportation's Horshoe Project designed to unsnarl traffic on Dallas' downtown freeways.
