If you plan on voting “yes” on this month’s referendum to relocate the Trinity Parkway, plan on saying goodbye to the Trinity River Project altogether—or at least, goodbye for a very long while.
First, a little brief history: Dallas voters approved a nearly $250 million bond package in 1998 to transform the city’s Trinity River. Part of that money was to build a toll road to relieve traffic on Stemmons Freeway and other downtown arteries. Fast forward to 2002 when newly elected Dallas Mayor Laura Miller, insistent the plan was simply a roads project disguised by pictures of sailboats and lakes, convinced the Dallas City Council to reexamine it. What they came up with in 2003 was the “Balanced Vision Plan”—a reinvention with a park and lakes, flood protection, and a reaffirmed need for the Parkway, acknowledging that its only viable location was inside the levies. Now, fearful it will ruin the Trinity Park, opponents of the Parkway want it to either go away or be removed from the levies. They gathered enough signatures to force a new vote this month.
Now, a little disclosure: I covered City Hall as a reporter for CBS 11 when Mayor Ron Kirk backed the first Trinity plan; I was Mayor Miller’s chief of staff when she worked to reconfigure the Project; and, I live in the district of Councilwoman Angela Hunt, who is the lead opponent of the Parkway. Needless to say, I have a unique perspective.
And so does U.S. Representative Pete Sessions. He, along with U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison and Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson, has led the charge to secure federal funding to make numerous elements of the Project a reality—most notably, flood control, the Calatrava signature bridges, and elements of the Parkway. There are serious questions about the security of that federal funding if Dallas flinches and passes this referendum. “A vote this November to stall the completion of these efforts risks undermining the Project’s local and federal support,” says Sessions, “leaving Dallas residents to wait even longer for much-needed improvements in transportation efficiency and air quality.”
So, here’s what we stand to lose if the initiative passes and why you should care:
First, traffic congestion: The Parkway—six lanes from Highway 183 to Continental and four lanes from Continental to Highway 175—will relieve downtown traffic off of Stemmons, which will otherwise only get more clogged year after year with the region’s expected growth. If the referendum passes, either the Parkway goes away altogether or the Dallas City Council moves it to the only possible alternative location—Industrial Boulevard. The Industrial option had been passed over previously because it would cost millions more and displace hundreds of businesses. In the meantime, federal funding for other highway improvements south of downtown, including the Mixmaster just to name one, will be put at risk because those improvements are dependent on the Trinity Parkway.
The Calatrava Bridges: Remember, these were to be Dallas’ St. Louis arch. With a combination of private, county, state, and federal dollars, Dallas has secured funding for two (and later perhaps a third) sky-arching, white, spindly signature bridges designed by renowned Spanish architect, Santiago Calatrava. If the referendum passes, don’t expect to see these bridges anytime soon and certainly not in time for Dallas’ showcase opportunity, the Super Bowl in 2011.
The Park itself: Passage of the referendum will most certainly mean years more in delays for an alternative roadway, making the job of private fundraisers out raising the remaining needed dollars for the Park even more difficult.
The lakes: Remember those boats? The North Texas Tollway Authority has agreed to dig the Trinity’s much-anticipated lakes in order to use the dirt to build the Parkway. No Parkway means NTTA has no need to dig those lakes, which according to the City has a $25 million value.
The impact of a “yes” vote on the Parkway referendum will have a domino effect that goes on and on. The Trinity River Project is a carefully built ladder—pull out one rung and the whole thing is in danger of falling apart. The fact is, the Trinity River Project is not perfect, but it is balanced. It’s been fully vetted, discussed, debated, and voted on. Now, it’s time—finally—to get it done.
Crayton Webb is manager of government relations for Mary Kay Inc. Webb serves on the board of directors for the Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau, Dallas Area Habitat for Humanity, the Greater Dallas Planning Council and the citywide fitness initiative, “Get A Move On.” Previously, he was chief of staff for Dallas Mayor Laura Miller and an investigative television news reporter for CBS 11.
