The Texas Trees Foundation received $25 million dollars from the state for the redevelopment of the Southwestern Medical District in Dallas.
The funding will go towards remodeling a two-mile stretch along the Harry Hines Corridor, including adding more trees and a park along both sides of the boulevard. A recent study found the SWMD to be one of Dallas’ worst urban heat islands.
“We decided start a project to redesign the streetscapes of the medical district to make it cooler, greener, cleaner, so it would be healthier,” said Texas Trees Foundation president and CEO Janette Monear.
SWMD chairman David Biegler said the transformation is critical.
“You can’t make the district be what it needs to be without the transformation of what used to be a state highway into a boulevard that people want to walk on, bicycle on, and just spend time on because their loved ones are in the hospital,” Biegler said.
The SWMD contains UT Southwestern Medical Center, Parkland Hospital and Children’s Health and serves about 3 million patients annually.
SWMD and TTF will work with all three medical institutions and the City of Dallas to help avoid any impact to traffic during construction.
Funding comes from Texas Parks and Wildlife and federal transportation dollars to the state.
The project is still in its design phase but construction will begin in 2026. Work on the new park will start in 2028.
Olla Mokhtar is KERA’s news intern. Got a tip? Email Olla at omokhtar@kera.org.
KERA News is made possible through the generosity of our members. If you find this reporting valuable, consider making a tax-deductible gift today. Thank you.