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Traffic Tie Ups Expected With Bush Presidential Center Dedication

BJ Austin
/
KERA News

Security for Thursday's George W. Bush Presidential Center dedication ceremonies at SMU, and appearances by the five living presidents, will see street closures around campus, in downtown Dallas, and North Oak Cliff. 

Thursday, the southbound Central Expressway service road between University and Mockingbird, the stretch, alongside the entrance to the Bush Presidential Center will be closed from 6am to 9pm for the big dedication event.

Streets on and around campus will also be blocked off.  Steve Mace is with University Park.

“We have tried very, very hard to get the word out regarding what will undoubtedly be a tough day to motor around that section of University Park,” Mace said.

That effort included social media and old fashioned door hangers for residents who live just north of campus advising them of parking rules.  Some students who live on campus were to move their cars from their regular lots to more distant parking after 5pm Tuesday. 

SMU Junior, Matt Roney says it may be a little tough to get to class Thursday. 

“Oh, it’s absolutely going to be a mess.  They want people to go downtown and take the shuttle, which is ridiculous.”

The university is asking SMU commuters to park downtown in the Reunion lot at Hotel and Memorial and take special shuttle buses to campus.

Meantime, a handful of downtown streets will be cordoned off from 6pm Wednesday and 10am Thursday. Closures include parts of Young, Record, Market and Wood Streets n the vicinity of the Omni Hotel and the Hyatt  Reunion Tower. The Jefferson Street viaduct connecting downtown and Oak Cliff will also be closed to traffic through the commute to work Thursday morning.  

Dallas City Council member Pauline Medrano says some people may need to plan a different route to work, but she says keep the big picture in mind.

“It’s really history for our city to have five presidents here all at one time,” Medrano said.  

Former KERA reporter BJ Austin spent more than 25 years in broadcast journalism, anchoring and reporting in Atlanta, New York, New Orleans and Dallas. Along the way, she covered Atlanta City Hall, the Georgia Legislature and the corruption trials of Louisiana Gov. Edwin Edwards.