Dallas is one step closer to reuniting communities and neighborhoods separated by Interstate 30.
The Dallas City Council on Wednesday unanimously approved $42 million in funding to start building deck parks over the downtown highway.
The parks — similar to Klyde Warren Park over Woodall Rodgers Freeway downtown — will be installed on Lamar Street and near Old City Park from East Ervay Street to Harwood Street.
The deck parks are meant to reconnect communities that were separated years ago when I-30 was first constructed, city officials said in a memo on the proposal.
“This to me is about connectivity,” District 2 council member Jesse Moreno said during Wednesday’s meeting. “Connecting the south side of downtown to the southern sector, to the Cedars [area], Farmer's Market, and really that growth opportunity.”
The vote authorizes the payments from the city’s convention center construction fund to enter a funding agreement with the Texas Department of Transportation for the deck park on Lamar Street and for the city’s portion of building the deck park near Old City Park.
Federal grants up to $31 million have also been awarded to fund the deck near Old City Park.
Inspire Dallas CEO Carlos Aguilar said this new project will help with development and connections within the city.
“These deck caps are more than just infrastructure,” Aguilar said. “They're the embodiment of the project's theme, which is connecting communities. They physically and symbolically bridge the divide created by I-30 uniting downtown and the Cedars neighborhood.”
The city has already paid $113.5 million for planning contracts and the first design contract for the deck caps, according to director of Convention and Event Services Rosa Fleming.
The council also approved a $141.5 million contract for architectural designs for the first part of the convention center’s plan.
“I’m excited about this additional park and connecting neighborhoods and everything that it's going to do for connectivity, economic development and just bridging communities together,” Moreno said.
Earlier this year, the North Central Texas Council of Governments received a federal grant for $80 million to fund four projects intended to reconnect other areas in Dallas divided by highways.
Those projects include structures for three deck caps that will reconnect the Cedars neighborhood to downtown, an expansion of Klyde Warren Park and its existing deck parks, completion of an initial pedestrian crossing at Southern Gateway Park, and an inverted pedestrian deck at State Highway 5 in McKinney.
Penelope Rivera is KERA’s news intern. Got a tip? Email Penelope at privera@kera.org.
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