Before Walking, Biking Across 'Better' Cedar Crest Bridge, Learn How to Do It Yourself

Before Walking, Biking Across "Better" Cedar Crest Bridge, Learn How to Do It Yourself

By Robert Wilonsky Tue., Oct. 11 2011 at 4:31 PM

Click for a much better look at what might become of the Cedar Crest Bridge.

On Friday we took a ride down Cedar Crest Boulevard over the Trinity, which the city's spending millions to makeover as a half-vehicular, half-hike-n-bike bridge -- but not before Jason Roberts and the Better Block-ers set up a temporary show-and-tell one week from Saturday, this one billed as the first-ever Better Bridge project. The newly minted flier for the event provides more details about the October 22 event: It's brief (three hours, from 10 a.m. till 1 p.m.); a city of Dallas-Team Better Block-Halff Associates-Landscape Forms joint; and parking will be available at 11st Street and Cedar Crest (right by Oak Cliff Metals!) for those who aren't biking in between Oak Cliff to-do's that day.

As Brent Brown of the City Hall-based CityDesign Studio noted last week, the event on the 22nd will also give folks an early look at Halff's plans for the Cedar Crest, for which the city paid, oh, $550,000. But over on Team Better Block, and now above, is a conceptual rendering of at least one of the options under consideration -- one Roberts and his folks cooked up to make the project, you know, less expensive and "more of a destination," as he tells Unfair Park today. "And since there's actually money available, if everybody buys into the vision of it being a destination, we could do make this permanent in short order -- like, right now."

Also: Friend of the show Wanda Dye, the UTA architecture prof responsible for the food court at the Better Ross Avenue event and the public square fashioned out of an abandoned South Oak Cliff gas station, passes along word today that Roberts and the Better Bridge-ers are looking for folks who want to help construct the temporary what-nots in advance of the Cedar Crest event. There's a workshop involved:

On October 22nd, we'll be taking a bridge in South Dallas and converting two of the car lanes to a wide bike and pedestrian esplanade complete with bike lanes, outdoor street furniture, food, lighting and more to show how our bridges can be turned into great destinations. We're holding open house construction sessions at our warehouse in West Dallas this Thursday from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., where we'll be building planters, benches and more from reclaimed wood materials. We'll have food and drinks on hand for anyone interested in helping with the project. Our inspiration for this endeavor is New York City's High Line Park. ... Thank you for helping us make a better city!

And Roberts promises: beer.

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BellX1

But hey, they're hipsters, it's HIP, and HIP is COOL, so just get used to the HIPSTERS in Oak Cliff (and in Pioneer Park), getting their way, damn the expense or the lies about usage month-to-month.

BTW, why isn't the Observer doing some digging on this "CityDesign Studio". Is it a city's job to have an in-house studio, when there are hungry firms out there? I mean, maybe we could hire some minority contractors..... oh well.

Helen Trent

The Trinity River boondoggle is a project that just keeps giving. If we got rid of Halff -- just think of the money we could save -- not just on them -- but overpriced projects.

Rexpierce

This is another example of our tax dollars being wasted!

Has any one done a demographic study regarding the need for this bridge.

I drove across this bridge last Saturday on my way to play golf after reading this posting and didn't see one cyclist on either side of the river. Both sides of this bridge are very sad neighborhoods and Look like high crime areas.

Is this another "Build it and they will come" projects?

BCulbreath

The bridge has been there for ever what you saw is where neighborhood once stood until Trinity River project,DISD and others have purchased land for future use.As you cross that bridge to the left taking Kiest is mark Cubans land for new development.There is no crime there.Did you think that because you saw a few black people sitting,standing they were criminals? That was a old Jewish settlement,than Apartments,crack,and now urban Renewal. Every place you see Black people does not mean crime.Look at DPD Crime Hot Spots,that is not one of them.