Trinity River Project facts for kids
The Trinity River Project is a big plan in Dallas, Texas, United States. It started in the 2000s to make the Trinity River area much better. The goal is to create many sports fields, walking trails, nature centers, and fun places. This project covers about 10,000 acres. It includes the Great Trinity Forest, which is the world's largest urban bottomland forest at 6,000 acres. This makes it one of the biggest urban parks in the United States.
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Making the Trinity River Better
For many years, business people wanted to build a famous bridge over the river. They also wanted to turn the river area near downtown into a park. They imagined it would be like the San Antonio River Walk or Lady Bird Lake in Austin. This park would have shops and restaurants nearby.
In 1998, the mayor at the time, Ron Kirk, supported a new plan. This plan aimed to clean up and improve the river through Dallas. Voters agreed to a plan to pay for a big river cleanup. They also approved building parks, places for wildlife, and flood protection like levees. New roads were also part of the plan.
After voters approved it, planning began. Construction on the project started in 2005. People who supported the project believed it would bring more life, businesses, and money to downtown Dallas.
In 2004, The Trinity Trust Foundation was created. Its job was to tell people about the project and raise money from private groups. This money helps build parts of the project. These include the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge, Margaret McDermott Bridge, and Ronald Kirk Bridge. It also helps with trails and other parts of the project.
On December 12, 2005, work began on the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge. This bridge is one of three bridges designed by Santiago Calatrava for the project. Heavy construction really started in June 2008. The bridge was finished in 2012. It connects Woodall Rodgers Freeway in downtown to Singleton Avenue in west Dallas. The bridge cost $235 million. It is 570 meters (1,870 feet) long. Its main part spans 365 meters (1,198 feet). The highest point is 122 meters (400 feet) tall.
What the Project Includes
The Trinity River Corridor Project has three main goals. First, it wants to protect downtown Dallas from future floods. Second, it aims to make travel easier through the busy downtown area. Third, it wants to give people in downtown a place to relax and play. They currently do not have many outdoor fun spots.
Protecting Dallas from Floods
Downtown Dallas has had bad floods before, though not often. The Trinity River Project has asked experts for advice. They want to make the current levee system better. Levees are walls that hold back river water.
Plans to improve the levees are part of the Dallas Floodway Extension project. This means making two existing levees longer. It also means making two others taller. All these levees are near downtown Dallas.
Another part of Dallas's flood protection plan is building wetlands. Wetlands are areas of land covered by water. These wetlands will take extra water away from the Trinity River. They will soak it up outside the river channel. This helps reduce the danger of floods. Two sections of wetlands are being built. One is called the Upper Chain, and the other is the Lower Chain. The Lower Chain was finished in 2008.
Improving Transportation
The Trinity Parkway was a proposed road. It was planned to be nine miles (14 km) long. It would have been inside the river levees but above the flood area. This road was meant to give Dallas residents another way to travel. It aimed to ease heavy traffic on Dallas highways.
This tollway was planned to have four lanes. Some parts might have had six lanes. It was expected to cost about $1.8 billion. However, this part of the project was very controversial. After much debate, the city council finally cancelled the road project in August 2017.
Fun and Recreation
The Trinity River Project adds many new fun places. These are meant to make life better for people in downtown Dallas. They include an Audubon center. This center opened in October 2008. It was built on a site that used to be an illegal dump.
The project also includes new trails for biking, hiking, and walking. There will be parks, a standing wave for water sports, and sports complexes. A horse park and two man-made lakes are also planned.
These fun places will be added to different areas near downtown Dallas. The two lakes are called the Urban Lake and the Natural Lake. They will be built so that cars crossing the new bridges will pass over them.
The project also has a 40,000-acre (160 km2) area for new businesses. This area will have shops, restaurants, homes, and offices. It aims to bring more businesses into the city.
There is already a wide area of developed land between the tall buildings of downtown and the river. Dallas city hall has made new rules for this area. These rules change what kinds of buildings can be built there. They also extend downtown's influence to the Trinity River. This means more tall and dense buildings will be built closer to the river.
Project Progress
The Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge is the biggest part of the Trinity project finished so far. It is open to traffic. It connects Spur 366 to Singleton Blvd. It cost $120 million and opened in March 2012.
The Margaret McDermott Bridge is the second main bridge. It will replace the current Interstate 30 bridge over the Trinity River. Its construction began later than planned. As of April 2014, parts of the bridge's arches were being built. Steel parts were being made in Florida. The main builder expected steel parts to arrive in Dallas in late 2014.
The Trinity River Audubon Center opened in October 2008. The trails and parks in the project have different start and end dates. For most, construction has already begun or will start soon. Many were set to be finished by 2009.
The standing wave was also planned to start construction in 2008. It was set to be finished by spring 2009. Both the sports complex and horse park were planned to start in 2009. They were set to be finished in 2010 and 2011. The two lakes were scheduled to begin construction in 2011. They were planned to open in 2014. However, due to money problems, many of these projects have been delayed.
