A Tale Of Two Town's Vision For The Trinity River

Margaret Hill Bridge in Dallas

Both Dallas and Fort Worth have big projects underway focused on the Trinity River.

The Dallas project is called the Trinity River Corridor Project. The Fort Worth project is called the Trinity River Vision. Often referred to as the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle.

The Dallas project began before the Fort Worth project. The Dallas project has been voted on by the Dallas voters. The Fort Worth project has not been voted on by the Fort Worth voters.

The Dallas project has 3 "signature" bridges, including the Margaret Hill Bridge you see under construction in the picture. The Fort Worth project originally also had 3 "signature" bridges. But those "signature" bridges were deemed too expensive and so were cut from the Fort Worth project as its projected cost swelled to nearly a billion dollars.

Dallas is also having some funding problems with its "signature" bridges.

Whilst looking for info about the Trinity River I came upon Wikipedia's description of the two town's projects.

I somehow found the Wikipedia description of the two town's river projects amusing.....

The Trinity River Corridor Project is intended to transform the Trinity River flood zone in downtown Dallas into the nation's largest urban park, featuring three signature bridges designed by acclaimed architect Santiago Calatrava. This project is on hold with the promised funds never showing up. There has also been repeated engineering rejection of the location of the included toll road in the flood plain that would cut off the park from downtown, combined with the realization that the levees are in poor condition and need major work. The first bridge is still being built.

A similar project is planned by the Tarrant Regional Water District, City of Fort Worth, Tarrant County, Streams & Valleys Inc., and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to develop an area north of "downtown" as "uptown" along the Trinity River. This plan promotes a large mixed use development adjacent to the central city area of Fort Worth, with a goal to prevent urban sprawl by promoting the growth of a healthy, vibrant urban core. The Trinity River Vision lays the groundwork to enable Fort Worth's central business district to double in size over the next forty years.