Bridges to be named for two Margarets
Gifts by Hunt Hill,
McDermott to Trinity project to be honored
Dallas Morning News, The (TX)
February 26, 2005
Author: EMILY RAMSHAW; Staff Writer
Estimated printed pages: 3

The first sky-scraping bridge to span the Trinity River over Woodall Rodgers Freeway will be named for Margaret Hunt Hill, the matriarch of the H.L. Hunt family whose Hunt Petroleum Corp. made a $12 million donation to the landmark parks project Friday.
The second bridge, which is waiting for federal dollars and will replace the Interstate 30 bridge, will bear the name of Margaret McDermott - the Dallas philanthropist who has been integral to the bridges' design.

Both announcements were made at Friday's fourth annual Trinity Commons Foundation luncheon, attended by several hundred city and state officials with a vested interest in the project.

"There is no great city in the United States of America that doesn't have generous patrons, people willing to give of their treasure and also of their hearts," said U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, in a heartfelt tribute to the Hunt family and to Mrs. McDermott. "This vision, when it is accomplished ... is going to be the focal point of Dallas, Texas. We are creating something that's going to make a mark forever."

The contribution from Hunt Petroleum will help fund the design of the Interstate 35E Trinity River bridge - the only bridge that hasn't yet been conceived by renowned Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava. And it is the first major gift to the Trinity Trust, the organization charged with raising $110 million in private dollars for the project.

The Margaret Hunt Hill bridge will be "a graceful bridge named after a graceful and beautiful lady," said Gail Thomas, who chairs the Trinity Trust.

Mrs. Hill's health kept her from attending Friday's announcement. But John Creecy, president and CEO of Hunt Petroleum, said the longtime Dallas civic leader has seen videos and photos of the proposed 40-story bridge, and is pleased.

"We're honored we can recognize Mrs. Hill for what she's meant to the city," he said.

The Margaret Hunt Hill bridge, which is currently referred to as the Woodall Rodgers bridge, is the only one that is fully funded. Groundbreaking for the project is scheduled for December.

Dallas voters approved a $246 million bond proposition in 1998 for the Trinity River Project, with the promise of federal dollars and contributions from the private sector. Much of the money for the remaining bridges is tied up in a congressional transportation bill, and could be secured this spring. The I-35E bridge does not yet have a name.

Dallas Mayor Laura Miller said Friday she credits Mrs. McDermott with the impetus for the Calatrava bridges. In December, Mr. Calatrava won the 2005 Gold Medal from the American Institute of Architects - the institute's highest individual honor.

"The bridges have been so magical and seemingly out of reach," she said. "That is you Margaret, all the way."

And Friday's announcement sends a message to the public, Ms. Miller said, that the three Calatrava bridges are going to become a reality. But she said the Trinity River project cannot succeed without the private sector.

"We need $110 million, and we're $12 million into that goal," she said. "Today shows we're going to get there, and it's not going to be hard."

The Trinity Trust is offering to name lakes, parks, trails and other amenities after individuals or organizations that make private contributions to the project.

As far as the bridges are concerned, the city may offer to name them after individuals, said Bob Brown, deputy district engineer for the Dallas office of the Texas Department of Transportation. But the state Legislature is the only body that can officially name a state asset, such as a bridge.

"If an entity wants to name a bridge in honor of someone, we have no problem with that," Mr. Brown said. But until the Legislature approves the names, he said, the city cannot print them on signs that are visible to motorists. Doing so would denote a formal adoption of the name, he said.

Acting City Manager Mary Suhm said once the city has selected the names for all the bridges, she will go to Austin to get them approved.

The turning point for the bridges came in 2001, when the city lost Boeing to Chicago, Ms. Hutchison said. At that point, city leaders realized what they were missing - a focal point downtown that would "last beyond all of our lifetimes."

"I think we took that experience and said we are going to go to the moon," she said. "We're going to beat the pants off other cities."

Staff writer Tony Hartzel contributed to this report.

E-mail eramshaw@dallasnews.com
  Caption:
PHOTO(S): (Michael Potts) An illustration shows the new Interstate 30 bridge, designed by Santiago Calatrava, to be named for Margaret McDermott. MAP(S): (DAMEONE RUNNELS/Staff Arist) FUTURE BRIDGES
Edition:  COLLIN COUNTY
Section:  METRO
Page:  1B
Copyright 2005 The Dallas Morning News
Record Number:  1600007346