Council praises plan for bridges 5 modernistic, arched structures proposed to span Trinity River The Dallas Morning News June 17, 1999 Author: Robert Ingrassia; Staff Writer of The Dallas Morning News Estimated printed pages: 3 The Dallas City Council embraced the idea Wednesday of creating an "ensemble" of modernistic suspension bridges over the Trinity River. Several council members said they would support efforts to secure bridge money from a variety of sources, including Dallas taxpayers if necessary. "It will be difficult," Mayor Ron Kirk told his council colleagues. "It will be controversial. ... But this can really change the landscape and the culture of our city forever." The council is set to take a formal position on the bridge plan next Wednesday. Most council members reacted warmly to a presentation by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, who developed the conceptual bridge designs in conjunction with the Dallas firm Halff Associates. "He is a genius," council member Veletta Forsythe Lill said. "We have an opportunity to turn our face to the river." Mr. Calatrava, a world-renowned architect and engineer whose work has been hailed for its dramatic beauty, showed the council models of five spans over the Trinity. All featured half-moon steel arches. The architect offered the council a lesson in the power of bridges, suggesting that they can link divided areas visually, physically and culturally. Calling Dallas a "teenager" in comparison to centuries-old European cities, Mr. Calatrava said the city is young enough to forge a bond with its river the way Paris and Prague have done. "We want to emphasize that the river can be a front yard and not a back yard where you put your prisons and electrical lines," Mr. Calatrava said. Halff Associates' work is part of a city-funded $1.5 million master plan for the Trinity corridor. The draft plan, set for adoption in August, sets out how the city should spend much of a $246 million river bond issue that Dallas voters approved in May 1998. The firm, which last month outlined plans for lakes and parks along the river, is proposing the construction of suspension spans at Woodall Rodgers Freeway, Interstate 35E and Interstate 30. The draft master plan also calls for arches on both ends of the proposed Trinity Parkway, a toll road that is to run along both sides of the river through Dallas. Halff planners and city officials said that with the city planning to build parks along the river and the state intending to replace several aging freeway spans, Dallas has a rare opportunity to transform the corridor in a short period of time. "Dallas right now is at a crossroads," Assistant City Manager Jill Jordan said. "This is an important moment in our city when you all are going to be asked to decide the future look of our city." Each proposed bridge project has funding problems to overcome. The Woodall bridge, a state project intended to help relieve downtown freeway congestion, is part of an extension of the freeway over the river into West Dallas. Set for construction starting in 2001, it was originally envisioned as a conventional pier-and-beam highway span. Adding an arch could boost the cost at least $18 million to about $67 million, Halff planners said. The city, which is contributing $28 million through its river bond package to the project, plans to ask the state and federal governments to pick up the extra cost. Dallas will compete with other Texas cities for a limited amount of highway dollars. The state plans to replace river bridges at I-35E and I-30 in the coming years. Adding suspension features could add $20 to $30 million to each project, Halff planners estimate. City officials said they will ask the state to pay the extra money to convert those to suspension structures. Mr. Kirk said that if that effort fails, he will consider supporting an effort to ask Dallas voters to approve bond funds for those projects. Some council members said they support the construction of suspension bridges, but only if other critical transportation needs did not go unmet. "It would be a shame to drive over these beautiful bridges onto crumbling streets," North Dallas council member Donna Blumer said. The bridge ideas won strong support from southern Dallas council members, who said the spans would spark much-needed economic development south of downtown. "Dallas was founded because of the Trinity, and then we turned it into a sewer," said council member Al Lipscomb, who represents parts of southeast Dallas and southeast Oak Cliff. "Now with your footprint here, we've focused back on the Trinity." Caption: PHOTO(S): (1. City of Dallas) Half-moon arches shape the five bridges proposed for the Trinity River by Spanish-born architect Santiago Calatrava. (2. DMN: Karen Stallwood) Architect Santiago Calatrava visits the Trinity River, for which he has proposed an "ensemble" of modernisticsuspension bridges. Edition: THIRD Section: NEWS Page: 31A Copyright 1999 The Dallas Morning News Record Number: 4063445