Dallas-area leaders are celebrating the completion of street improvements on Medical District Drive as part of an effort to improve mobility in the highly trafficked area.
The project expanded the Medical District’s main thoroughfare by widening the road, adding bike lanes and completing pedestrian improvements.
Dallas County District 4 Commissioner Elba Garcia, who represents the area of Dallas that includes the Medical District, said the project has been 18 years in the making.
“This is a critical project because not only it moves people, it moves patients, it moves doctors, it moves 3.3 million people a year just in this area,” Garcia told KERA.
Garcia said she remembers when the street was still named Motor Street; she said it was filled with potholes and often flooded.
“We knew something had to change, and transportation was the key,” Garcia said.
Hospital leaders had previously complained to the city about narrowing the road, which was ultimately resolved when the project added lanes for accessibility. The overall project cost $31 million to complete.
There's also easier access to public transit along Dallas Area Rapid Transit's Green Line and the Trinity Railway Express.
Dallas Mayor Pro Tem Jesse Moreno said the project was a crucial component of the city’s long-term plan to connect residents with the area’s main hospitals: Parkland, UT Southwestern Medical Center and Children’s Medical Center.
“What we're celebrating today is not just another road project," Moreno said. "It's an access to our most important resources here in the city of Dallas, the Medical District,”
Gus Khankarli, the city’s director of transportation and public works, said the next step is to improve nearby Harry Hines Boulevard with new traffic signals that will give first responders better access to the hospitals.
“We're doing it for improvements to the quality of life, saving lives and making sure that we're delivering what we're supposed to deliver to our residents and the region,” Khankarli said.
Pablo Arauz Peña is KERA’s growth and infrastructure reporter. Got a tip? Email Pablo at parauzpena@kera.org.
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