The Park Continues Progress on Schedule
Crews have installed 252 of the 316 concrete crossbeams that span the 5.2-acre deck park and the final beams are expected to be placed in October. Meanwhile, construction crews have completed 40 percent of the waterproofing the deck needs to ensure water does not seep through the concrete and into the tunnel once complete.
“As the deck nears completion, North Texans are in for an extraordinary sight,” said Linda Owen, president of the Woodall Rodgers Park Foundation. “Soon we’ll see the arrival of trees and plants, lawns and trellis, and it will be unmistakably clear what a transformational space our community has created.”
Improvements are also being made to the newly-created tunnel for drivers travelling underneath the deck park. In October, workers will complete the installation of 32 jet fans that will be monitored and controlled by computers at all times to protect air quality. In addition to the jet engines, drivers travelling on Woodall Rodgers Freeway will also notice the eastbound Pearl Street exit has been reopened. The exit closed last December as a safety precaution at the beginning of construction.
Dallas residents aren’t the only ones getting a new view of The Park. The Woodall Rodgers Park Foundation, which oversees the development and programming for The Park, relocated to a space overlooking The Park last week. Its new home will also serve as a meeting space for volunteers and programming partners.
About The Park
The Park will serve as a central gathering space for Dallas and its visitors to enjoy in the heart of the city. The 5.2-acre deck park will create an urban green space over the existing Woodall Rodgers Freeway between Pearl and St. Paul Streets in downtown Dallas. Plans include a performance stage, restaurant, shaded walking paths, a dog park, a children’s discovery garden and playground, great lawn, water features, an area for games and much more.
Connectivity is central to The Park's purpose. The Park will promote increased pedestrian, trolley and bicycle use between Uptown, Downtown and the Arts District, contributing to a more walkable city center.
The Park will create a front lawn for the surrounding cultural offerings including the AT&T Performing Arts Center, Dallas Museum of Art, Morton Meyerson Symphony Hall, Nasher Sculpture Center, Trammell & Margaret Crow Collection of Asian Art, Booker T. Washington High School for the Visual & Performing Arts and the future Perot Museum of Nature and Science.
Design, deck and tunnel construction are funded through a public-private partnership including $20 million in bond funds from the City of Dallas, $20 million in highway funds from the state and federal government through TxDOT, and nearly $35 million from private donations, including major gifts from Chase and the W.W. Caruth Foundation. In March 2009, The Park was selected to receive $16.7 million in stimulus funds that are specifically for transportation enhancement projects. The Woodall Rodgers Park Foundation is in the final phase of the campaign to secure private funding for amenities construction, operations, programming and endowment.
The Park will be privately managed, operated and programmed by the Woodall Rodgers Park Foundation. The Foundation has studied great urban parks across the country and will bring “best practices” to The Park's operations, programming and maintenance.
The Park’s design is led by The Office of James Burnett, Thomas Phifer and Partners, and Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc. The Texas Department of Transportation selected Archer Western as the contractor for construction of the deck plaza. Bjerke Management Services provides project management services to the Woodall Rodgers Park Foundation.
Jody Grant serves as Chairman of the Board of the Woodall Rodgers Foundation and is joined by President and C.E.O., Linda Owen, and board members Elaine Agather, Nancy Best, Garrett Boone, Leo Corrigan, Ed Fjordbak, Sheila Grant, Linda Hart, Mitch Hart, Jeff Jackson, Tom Leppert, John Muse, Bob Shapard, Rob Walters and John Zogg.