No Later Than October, Harwood Street Will No Longer Drive Over Woodall Rodgers

By Robert Wilonsky Mon., Aug. 3 2009 at 6:21 PM

Categories: News

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While I was at City Hall today, Joanna Singleton sent word that the Texas Department of Transportation has selected Archer Western, which has done work on the rail expansion for Dallas Area Rapid Transit, to handle construction of the $43-million-plus Woodall Rodgers Deck Park. Her press release also notes the groundbreaking on the public-private project -- which received $16.7 million in Obamabucks in March and $265,000 from Keep Dallas Beautiful in June -- will be held September 14.

But when will folks who cross over Woodall Rogers begin experiencing, ya know, delays? Probably "late September, October," Singleton tells Unfair Park this evening. I called her because I noticed this on the city council's August 12 meeting agenda:

An ordinance for closing and vacating a portion of Harwood Street, containing approximately 13,623 square feet of land, located near its intersection with Woodall Rodgers Freeway for the Woodall Rodgers Deck Plaza Project - Financing: No cost consideration to the City.

The agenda item, which contains the ordinance calling for the closure and vacating of the street over Woodall Rodgers, isn't more specific about the dates. And Singleton says she can't be more specific about when the closure will take place because TxDOT hasn't yet approved Archer Western's construction plan. That should happen sooner or later, at which point Archer Western should have a local point person with whom the Woodall Rodgers Park Foundation and city officials can communicate. But for those who haven't been paying close attention, yes, Harwood's about to become pedestrians-only. You've been warned.

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Anyone wanna join me for lunch, smog, and traffic noise when the park opens? Dallas has enough traffic...let's spend money and create more.
Two Sundays ago I walked from my house in Oak Lawn straight down Fairmount and under Woodall to check out the status of the new Theatre Center and Performing Arts Center from ground level. Workers (on Sunday) were working on the plaza area which will be the final connection from the new part straight west past the Crow Collection and Nasher to the Dallas Museum of Art. It will be beautifully landscaped, with walkways and fountains. Add to that the coming deck park and the future connection of the Katy Trail to One Arts Plaza. Think big folks. A few years from now we will actually have a vibrant downtown arts district with green space, hike and bike trails and (fingers crossed) street cars. There is absolutely no downside -- nothing but upside -- to this vision. Who cares who's throwing their money into this? It's their money. The buildings they own or plan to build are already on the books. This is one big thing that Dallas is actually going to pull off. Back down. Pick another fight. There's plenty to chose from.
this is going to be the best thing to come to Dallas in a long time. The arts musuem's attendance will jump significantly just like they did in chicago. i cant wait to go spend the day in the arts area and park. we need this
The park is more significant than just the three blocks of the actual park. The deck park will blend in to the Arts District which will magnify its impact. It is more about the connection of Uptown and Downtown than just the park. It is easy to say bad things about the Trinity Project, but this is pretty much all good.
DG you said you live in Richardson - why are you so worked up about this? Should I launch into a diatribe about how Richardson is planning to 'ethnically cleanse' Spring Valley Road? Let's see - freeway gulch or a park? Which would you rather have in Richardson?
This sad little concrete slab of a park is in not even remotely comparable to Central Park or Millenium Park in terms of size, setting, amenities or impact. Yes, it will look nicer than a highway, but it will not be the reniassance-inducing wonderland the boosters are making it out to be. It will be an indordinately expensive empty space in a sea of traffic. The notion that a 3-block patch of grass and saplings will attract suburbanites to downtown is comical. It's remarkable the only places this cash-strapped city can find to build a park are in a floodway or suspended over a highway.
"stop this talk about the City not taking care of other parks" Would be because it true? " Despite promises last month to spruce up the bronze cattle and cowboy sculptures at Pioneer Plaza, it's still looking really shabby. A recent tour of the second-most visited site in Dallas showed that the light was still broken and was topped with a milk crate and a traffic cone. The trail was so eroded that wiring and sprinkler lines were exposed. Some of the sculpture pedestals looked dangerously unearthed. There was graffiti on the trash can. The water fountain was out of order. And cigarette butts and beer bottle tops peppered the ground. Weirdly, there was also a pair of pants resting on the trail. You'd think someone would need those. Frank Poe, director of convention and events services for the Dallas Convention Center, said his people are trying to work on the problems at the site. "We're doing the very best we can with the money we have available," http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/localnews/columnists/problemsolver/stories/DN-problemsolver_13ent.ART.State.Edition1.4bd08db.html The City of Dallas can't keep up a park one block from City Hall. The hotel's gonna be awesome.
So where do all the exhaust fumes from all the vehicles driving under this park go? That's a serious question, not a gripe - at least not yet.
What a colossal bunch of babies! I�m sure people in NY bitched about Central Park and I�m sure a few idiots in Chicago bitched about Millenium Park� This is going to be a signature park for the city of Dallas- and one that is much needed. Dallas needs green space! This park will connect Downtown with Uptown and create a pedestrian friendly environment. The benefits are going to be outstanding for the City!! And stop this talk about the City not taking care of other parks. I�ve seen several parks throughout the City that are being redeveloped and improved. Just look at Griggs Park and Cole Park� And big freaking deal- so you might have to drive down to Pearl instead of crossing on Harwood. You�re talking about an extra minute out of your day you lazy morons!!! Now go find something else to bitch about you miserable goofs!!
It would be cool to have forty-three $1-million parks <i>and</i> one $43-million park, but either one is better than nothing. If the city were using taxpayer money to go in roughly half-sies with some rich old bastards to bolster their property values in business-park-ville up around Spring Valley Road or something, that would be egregious. But anybody in this city, nay this region, with a shred of civic-mindedness has a stake in downtown. It belongs to all of us. As I said, though, they should just bite the bullet and close all the adjacent streets if they're going to do this at all.
I guess taxpayer money for parks is OK if it's used to build 43 one-million-dollar parks, but not OK if it's used to build one big park? It's not even worth arguing this because whatever side you take, the other side is a communist.
God forbid that people and companies would want to donate money to help themselves and the city at large. The horror!!!! If I remember correctly, the tree farm wasn't put in by the City of Dallas. TXDOT and a private foundation were to maintain those trees. A communication mix-up led to its demise. Grumpy Demo, glad you live in the garden spot that is Richardson as well.
@CueCat Slow down there, turbo. You're making it sound like all of Dallas drives on Harwood daily. First of all, Harwood is a one way street so this only affects traffic heading from Uptown into Downtown. Secondly, St Paul or Pearl aren't too far away, and those streets can just as easily get you into downtown from uptown. Third, closing Harwood will allow for a more pedestrian friendly park and arts district. Streets aren't just for cars, the sooner everyone learns that the better.
The park for rich benefactors is okay. But, why in the hell would anyone in their right mind allow them to close Harwood Street? HELLO, Angela... are you listening??? It is in YOUR district! If Harwood Street is indeed not needed, then why was an overpass constructed there when Woodall Rodgers was built? There was no doubt a traffic thoroughfare plan presented with the design of Woodall Rodgers that indicated the city/state should fund the bridge in order to not impede traffic flowing in and out of downtown. What has changed that now??? Only that some rich muckety-muck Park Cities people decide they would rather have their park there and are willing to let the working class of people find another way to cross Woodall Rodgers during rush hour. Absolutely insane! HELLO, Angela... are you listening??? It is in YOUR district! If you think that is stupid, just look at how the same mentality justified putting a parking lot for school children UNDER Woodall Rodgers Freeway at Routh Street without ANY school crosswalk signs or school zone speed limits on THREE lanes of freeway service road and TWO lanes of a major collector street that school children must cross in order to get to school! HELLO, Angela... are you listening??? It is in YOUR district! And, don't even get me started on the "tree farm" of several hundred trees at Woodall Rodgers at Central Expressway that died due to neglect by the group that put them there and the City of Dallas. I'm a loyal supporter of yours, Angela. But, if the City of Dallas was making airplanes, I'd be afraid to walk outside.
Looking at the donor list, I hope they cashed the check already, cuz the commercial real estate market has tanked. The issue isn't green space, its spending millions on a dumb idea, while neglecting the other parks that are in residential neighborhoods. Anyone remember the dead tree forest just north of this park? It's a monument the City's promotion of green space. The DMN story says its a $77 million project, with only $36 million in tax money. The story didn't detail how much private money has been raised so far, and seems to imply the fund is incomplete. Makes me glad I live in Richardson.
Hard to argue with green space in a city hard-pressed for it. The deck park in Seattle is beautiful -- of course, it's in the Northwest, not in a scrubby concrete prairie. My major quibble is with the service roads. They need to go the whole hog and close those, too, if this park is going to work functionally as a kind of piazza between Uptown and the Arts District.
Just use astroturf!!!!!! I know a guy whos got some he has to get rid of
dallasm, You took the words out of my mouth. Y'all are really missing the point if you think this won't benefit the city. It will help draw people from Uptown into downtown and the Arts District. I plan on using it and I live on the east side of downtown. There will certainly more benefit from this park than the Trinity.
The Big Guy, Better yet, cross reference the donor list with those who own property within a block of the park. Corporations do not donate money to activities that they do not benefit (especially real estate trusts). I am not sure about the holdings of the private individuals, but at least half of all donations were made directly by real estate companies in close proximity (the other half probably by the owners of those companies). Select Donors: Lyn and John Muse (Tom Hicks' partner) Museum Tower Founders Gables Residential Granite Properties Corrigan Properties Inc. Hunt Consolidated Inc. Lincoln Property Co. JPI Cos. Museum Tower Residences at Ritz Carlton-Dallas Texas Capital Bank
Help me understand why someone would be against this. The vast majority of the cost is payed for through private donations. It will be a beautiful park in a place that was once a paved over 10 lane freeway -without any loss of freeway lanes. It will attract suburbanites and others from the area to spend more time/money in Dallas. It will create transportation options so that people that live in the area are less reliant on their cars. Its a beautiful park in an area that previously had no parks at all, and it's paid for mostly through private donations. Come on guys is nothing good enough for you?
@JohnK Here is how one grows plants in a huge planter box: You pay a lot to water them When the next drought comes, you have to keep watering, to keep the investment. Dallas has always been about "Monumentalism" Downtown Dallas, Victory Park,The "arts" district etc is the antithesis to 'if you build it , they will come"
@lakewoodhobo let's cross reference the donor list to people who own commercial property within 2000 yards of the park, shall we?
My concern has always been how do you grow green bushes,trees,ivy,flowers,and walks thru a space that has no really good method of providing water to nourish those plants and then remove the water as it builds up in the structure above the freeway. What will they do also about the many homeless who will now move into Uptown thru this thorofare?
Harwood is the most direct route from the bottom of the Tollway to the Farmers Market. Many people north of downtown dislike going into "the city because it's so confusing." Wonder if the park will reduce traffic to the FM?
Lakewoodhobo, the park is an insult to the millions of taxpayers who get to see their money flushed down this gold-played commode.
That previous comment is an insult to the people who have given millions in PRIVATE donations to make this park a reality. FAIL
The Dallas Way 1) Develop real estate near a freeway If the real estate does not appreciate enough 2) Pour $$$ into Mayor and City Councilman then 3) Have the city increase your property value by building a $43,000,000 park instead of 43 $1,000,000 parks spread through the city. Because See #2
I can't wait to see that park come to life. I think it is going to be absolutely beautiful. An Lord knows that that area needs some green space.