Dallas considering deck park for I-30
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Life is a highway, but it can also be a park. Photo: Joshua Lott/The Washington Post via Getty Images
The Dallas City Council will consider a funding agreement with the Texas Department of Transportation for the design of a deck park over Interstate 30 near downtown as part of the plan to build a new convention center.
Why it matters: Downtown Dallas is separated from the rest of the city by highways, but the construction of a deck park over I-30 and redevelopment of Interstate 345 — which local leaders are also considering — could rejoin the city's center with some outlying neighborhoods.
Zoom out: Advocates want to see I-345 — the stretch of highway that connects Interstate 75 to Interstate 45 — buried, but TxDOT recommends trenching it.
The intrigue: The prospect of tearing down I-345 has been a controversial topic for years.
Catch up fast: Voters approved a $1.5 billion ballot measure in November, most of which will go toward building a new Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center.
- The master plan estimates project management, demolition and construction of the new building and deck park will cost just over $3 billion.
What's happening: The council will vote today on whether to approve two funding agreements with TxDOT to prepare plans for the deck park project.
- If approved, the city will pay $2 million from its convention center funds for the plans for a deck cap and a pedestrian corridor on Lamar Street and $2 million from federal grants for a second highway cap from East Ervay Street to Hardwood Street near Old City Park.
Meanwhile: The council hasn't reached a consensus on the future of I-345 on the north side of downtown near Deep Ellum.
- A vote to approve a resolution requested by TxDOT to trench the highway was tabled in February.
- Now, five council members are asking for the full council to consider asking the city manager to commission an independent study, meaning a decision on what happens to I-345 won't be made for at least a year, per D Magazine.
What's next: An agreement on the construction of the highway caps will be decided at a future council meeting.