Photo courtesy of the Old Oak Cliff Conservation League
The Trinity Parkway lost some support recently, but it still has plenty of backers. And a related plan to tear down the Jefferson Street Viaduct and replace it with a six-lane highway still inches forward.
Representatives from the Texas Department of Transportation explained the plan for Oak Cliff Chamber of Commerce members Wednesday.
The bridge would connect Interstate 35 to the conceived Trinity toll road and downtown. It would cost $80 million-$100 million to build, although like the toll road, it so far is unfunded.
The transportation department showed printouts of preliminary plans for the bridge, but they are not yet available online.
This snapshot from the presentation shows Burnett Field in the center. The orange lines show the proposed new six-lane Jefferson bridge.
The bridge would have to be 20-25 feet high over Colorado Boulevard, and it would be as high as 50 feet over the levees and where it would meet I-35. The bridge would be similar in scope to the new I-35 bridges being built as part of the Dallas Horseshoe.
The new bridge, along with I-35, would trap Burnett Field. City Concilman Scott Griggs has said he thinks this new bridge would hurt the neighborhood and encourage nothing but big-box development in the Oak Cliff Gateway.
John Nguyen of the Texas Department of Transportation says a final draft of the Jefferson bridge proposal could be ready this spring. Until then, they will be meeting with City Council members and neighborhood groups to discuss the projects. Typically, the transportation department only pursues projects that have the support of City Council and the community.
