Dallas is one step closer to having another bridge park in the city.
The I-35 deck park being built near the Dallas Zoo celebrated a large contribution on Tuesday morning, as construction continues to complete the future Southern Gateway Park.
Representatives from Texas Capital and the Southern Gateway Public Green Foundation came together for a ceremony marking Texas Capital’s $1 million grant to support the development of the new park.
The grant will facilitate construction of 'The Texas Capital Landing,' the park’s highest elevation, which will feature panoramic views of downtown Dallas and an elevated open plaza surrounding a rain wall water feature.
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Currently, the bridge itself and the foundation for the park are completed – next will be the added design elements like the landing, green space and walking paths.
The city of Dallas started the groundwork on planning the park since before the pandemic. Part of the construction included extensive work to build out the bridge near Lancaster Avenue, connecting one part of Oak Cliff to the other around the Dallas Zoo.
With the bridge finished construction work can begin to soon make the area more walkable and livable for the community.
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"This will bring in a lot of development. Not only will it combine communities, but it will also attract a lot of businesses to South Dallas, which will also bring jobs. So it’s great for this neighborhood and great for the community,” said Rob Holmes, President & CEO of Texas Capital.
The park has also received key support from the federal government as part of the "Reconnecting Communities" program, aimed at mitigating damage to communities when the interstates plowed through poor and minority neighborhoods decades ago.
In the 20th century, the federal government built the highway system across the country and through major American cities. The highways were key for the growing suburbs, allowing people to live around Dallas and commute to work in and out of the city. However, the roads were also built over homes and property in parts of Dallas including Oak Cliff.
"It is step one towards doing things better. For making residents better off without making anybody worse off. Which is what we get to do today," said Secretary of the United States Department of Transportation Pete Buttigieg during a trip to Dallas in April. "The communities that felt the brunt of that disruption were the same communities that at the time didn't have the political power or resources to stop or reshape or change those projects.”
April Allen, president and CEO of Southern Gateway Public Green Foundation, took part in a ceremonial concrete pouring on Tuesday to mark the new Texas Capital Landing. She said it’s exciting to see the momentum toward the finish line to complete the project.
"We call this a park with a purpose. Because it isn’t just about a green space, it’s about connecting these neighborhoods that were divided when the freeway was built,” she said. “And hopefully catalyzing and spurring the type of economic development and investment that we haven’t seen in this part of the city for a while.”
Construction on Southern Gateway Park is expected to be completed sometime in 2026, the same year as North Texas gears up to host the FIFA World Cup.
