Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings is backing the Trinity Parkway, the proposed toll road between the river levees. The Mayor asked four questions before making his decision.
Is it safe to build? Mayor Rawlings says the Corps of Engineers assures him it is.
Will it compromise the beauty and aesthetics of the planned Trinity Park? The mayor says no – it’ll have sound walls, landscaping, maybe even deck parks above.
Where will the money come from? Mayor Rawlings says Dallas determination will find state, federal, and private money.
What type of city does Dallas want to become? Not one where gridlock has paralyzed growth, the mayor says.
"We need to say invest in Dallas. We need to say drive through our great city and stop a while. Building this parkway is imperative," Mayor Rawlings said at a news conference Wednesday.
Council member Sandy Greyson, an opponent of the toll road, is not impressed.
"I think nothing has changed. They still don’t have the money. And the Corps cannot make any assurances until after the EIS is completed," Greyson said. "And that process is still at least a year away."
The EIS is the environmental impact statement that decides if the Trinity toll road, plus the proposed parks and lakes, would harm the integrity of the levee system.
Council member Scott Griggs says a toll road in the floodway, through a park is dangerous, too expensive, and not 21st century creative.
Council member Vonciel Jones Hill disagrees.
"We need both the transportation reliever and the economic growth the development that comes with the road," Hill said.
Tuesday, the North Texas Tollway Authority will hold a public hearing on the Trinity Parkway.
