The Dallas City Council has approved a plan to lower the height of a new convention center, which could cause traffic problems for Oak Cliff residents traveling to Downtown Dallas.
Background
The council voted 9-6 to keep the convention center height lower than initially planned, meaning the Houston Street and Jefferson Street viaducts would no longer be able to run through the convention center. This change interrupts traffic coming in and out of Downtown Dallas from the Oak Cliff area.
The Transportation and Infrastructure Committee had requested that the design return to the original plans so the Jefferson and Houston viaducts remain connected to downtown Dallas. Under the original plan, the expanded convention center was designed to be tall enough for traffic to flow continuously underneath the building.
Financial Implications
After efforts to cut $500 million in costs, the building’s plans were lowered by two stories. The city’s latest proposal includes diverting traffic from Jefferson Street onto the Houston Street viaduct due to the lowered design.
The Dallas City Manager stated that the proposed redesign will cost $597 million and delay the convention center construction by a year, resulting in more than $271 million in lost clients and another $1.4 million a month in future losses.
Original reporting: Dallas – Ft. Worth Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
