posted on October 28, 2010 21:05
The first of 316 concrete crossbeams that will form the foundation for the deck park over Woodall Rodgers Freeway will be placed Saturday, and supporters of the project are ready to party.
The Woodall Rodgers Park Foundation will host a picnic with donors and the public from 4 to 5 p.m. to celebrate the beams’ arrival. Contractor Archer Western will begin installing the beams across the freeway Saturday evening and continue the installation for several months.
One of the beams, painted by local artist and Dallas Police Officer Cat Lafitte and her team, will be displayed at the picnic before being placed, and park supporters and picnic guests will be invited to sign the future Dallas landmark. Sammy’s barbecue is in on the menu, and gospel music from St. Paul United Methodist Church and a bounce house for the kids are on the lineup. The free event is at the corner of the 1950 block of Routh Street and the Uptown side of the Woodall Rodgers Freeway access road (look for the tent and balloons).
To install the crossbeams, Archer Western will set up cranes on both sides of the project, lift the 110-foot beams in tandem and position them between the newly constructed support columns and the center wall. The beams will be spaced to allow tree roots to grow so trees in the park can grow to their full height.
The 5.2-acre deck park will create common ground between Uptown and downtown Dallas by building an urban green space over the existing Woodall Rodgers Freeway between Pearl and St. Paul streets. Plans for the park include a performance pavilion, restaurant, shaded walking paths, dog park, children’s garden, playground and water features.
Dallas Business Journal, 10/22/10, Bill Hethcock