Mayfield's Got a Deal: $10 Mil From County to Move OC-to-Downtown Streetctar to Commerce

Ken_Mayfield2_Merten.jpg
Sam Merten
Dallas County Commissioner Ken Mayfield
Late last night, the missive you see below -- in which Dallas County Commissioner Ken Mayfield offers to pitch in $10 mil for that Oak Cliff-to-downtown streetcar line -- appeared in the Unfair Park in-box. Mayfield tells Mike Eastland, executive director of the North Central Texas Council of Governments, that he'll kick in the dough with one caveat: if they move the proposed route from the Houston Street bridge to the Commerce Street bridge in order to accommodate workers at the county jail.

I'd planned to make calls this morning to find out where Mayfield plans on getting the dough -- only to see this morning that, hey, Roy Appleton's already done the heavy lifting. Mayfield tells The News the promised $10 mil is a slice of the "discretionary capital improvement program funds set aside for his district," though, of course, he can't do anything with it without the commissioners court's OK. Questions remain, though -- chief among them, is $10 million enough to cover the cost of the reroute, and if the shift even do-able given the fact the feds' OK'd that TIGER grant in February with Houston Street serving as the connector? Plenty of time to answer those questions and others -- three years, at least.

Mayfield Letter to NCTCOG.jpg
My Voice Nation Help
0 comments
Sort: Newest | Oldest
©2013 Dallas Observer, LP, All rights reserved.
Browse Voice Nation
  • Voice Places Dallas / Fort Worth

    Voice Places

    Find everything you're looking for in your city

  • Happy Hour App

    Happy Hour App

    Find the best happy hour deals in your city

  • Daily Deals

    Daily Deals

    Get today's exclusive deals at savings of anywhere from 50-90%

  • Best Of

    Best Of...

    Check out the hottest list of places and things to do around your city