The I-35 East Highway capping project covering the Oak Cliff neighborhood features over 5-acres of green park, areas for educational programs, and citywide access to new connective infrastructure.
Source: Credit to OJB landscape and urban planning
| Project Name | Southern Gateway Deck Park (I-35), Dallas, Texas |
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| Location | Dallas, Texas |
| Project Sponsor / Borrower | City of Dallas, Southern Gateway, Texas Department of Transportation - North Central Texas Council of Governments |
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| Value Capture Techniques | Private Contribution & Special Assessment Districts |
| Mode | Highway Cap Park |
| Description | The I-35 East Highway capping project will cover the Oak Cliff neighborhood between Ewing and Marsalis Avenues, near the Dallas Zoo. This project began in 2017 and included a deck park design as part of the reconstruction project to widen I-35 from eight lanes to 10. The project will reunify Oak Cliff, which was divided by the I-35 East Highway 50 years ago at during the height of highway construction. The interstates construction divided the community, causing economic damage in Southern Dallas. In 2017, Opportunity Dallas, a policy and advocacy group that works on affordable housing and segregation issues, convened a task force to study the effects of segregation and the lack of affordable housing available in Dallas. The study, which noted that a lack of mobility and investment in low-income communities plays a major role in generational poverty, was presented to the City of Dallas in early 2018. It revealed that the new park would connect two of the lowest-income census tracts in Dallas, addressing the lack of mobility while generating economic investment in the surrounding areas. The project broke ground in 2018 and will bridge two federally designated areas where investors in new business are eligible for tax incentives and other benefits. The Southern Gateway Deck Park will feature a five-acre park design, spaces for educational programs, and citywide access to new connective infrastructure. The first half of construction will be completed in late 2023. The deck park is a part of the Texas Department of Transportation's $666 million, 11-mile expansion project that aims to improve safety, relieve congestion, address roadway deficiencies, and improve system linkages along approximately 11 miles of I-35 and US 67. The deck park will include six acres of green space, a children's garden, water features, arts, a dog park, and a pavilion for concerts and other events. The project crosses many communities, including the Tenth Street Historic District. To reduce concerns about gentrification, the neighborhood will receive a grant from the National Trust to hire staff to help preserve its history. The project will be a similar concept to the Klyde Warren Park in Dallas, which has generated over $1.3 billion in economic impact. |
| Cost | Phase I: $82 million
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| Funding Sources | Southern Gateway Public Green Foundation - $28 million to cover the estimates for deck park's final design, construction, and initial operating costs. Texas Department of Transportation secured $47 million to fund the park's structural supports and base. |
| Project Delivery / Contract Method | Design-Build |
| Private Partner | Pegasus Link Constructors, a joint venture between Fluor Corporation and Balfour Beatty |
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| Lenders | N/A |
| Duration / Status | Texas Department of Transportation began planning for the reconstruction of I-35E and the new deck park concept in 2017. The highway and deck infrastructure are expected to be completed in the summer of 2022, with the new green space open for community use in early 2024. |
| Financial Status / Financial Performance | The project will cost $40 million and is a public-private partnership with the city of Dallas and Southern Gateway Public Green Foundation, a nonprofit organization. The foundation received a $500,000 grant from the Eugene McDermott Foundation and raised $500,000 from individual donors and foundations. It plans to raise over $28 million to cover the estimates for the project's final design, construction, and initial operating costs. The Texas Department of Transportation secured $47 million to fund the park's structural supports and base. Partial funding for the I-35 East construction project will also come from a 2016 Unified Transportation Program (UTP) approved by the Texas Transportation Commission, providing over $2.1 billion in road and infrastructure projects. This UTP will provide $100 million in funding to the highway. |
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| Contacts | Danetta Harris |
The future deck park will span I-35E in Southern Dallas between Ewing and Marsalis Avenues. The park will be directly adjacent to the Dallas Zoo and reconnects historic Oak Cliff.
Source: Credit to the Southern Gateway Public Green Foundation
