In the abstract, the Trinity River Project is tough to visualize.

Editorial

Dallas Morning News Sunday, October 7, 2007

Planners describe thousands of acres of forest, parkland and lakes, with a road skirting along the edge, all knitted together and placed neatly between the levees. It's a complex quilt of recreation, transportation and flood control.

But as the debate about the intricacies of the Trinity toll road escalates, many voters are left with basic but important questions. Namely: What does this look like? And how will I get there?

According to Dallas City Council member Angela Hunt's coalition, you won't.

TrinityVote, which opposes the planned tollway, portrays this as a road to nowhere – or at least nowhere near the park. "The toll road will NOT provide any direct access to the park," her Web site declares.

The fact is that the highway will offer easy access to the lakes, trails, soccer fields and all other planned amenities.

And the answer to the question of how you'll get there is simple: You'll drive. Or walk. Or bike. Or, given that an equestrian center is planned, you could opt for horseback (although that might not be our first choice).

Any suggestion that there's no way to get from the Trinity Parkway to the park is simply untrue.

On the toll road, five access points are planned – at Sylvan Avenue, Hampton Road, Jefferson Boulevard, Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard and Corinth Avenue. At each interchange, drivers will exit onto a bridge and drive down a ramp into the park.
The toll road isn't your only option, though. Folks who are coming from downtown Dallas, Oak Cliff or West Dallas can hop on those five city streets and take the ramp to the recreation areas.

Those who enjoy a walk in the park – or to the park – will have options as well. On the downtown side, an elevated walkway will allow visitors to cross over the road and head to the lake. Several other pedestrian-friendly paths will provide park access at ground level. And walkers and bikers from Oak Cliff will find gateways on the southern side of the river area.

After spending more than a decade debating and designing this project and more than $1 billion building it, Trinity planners don't want to limit access. Quite the contrary.

A "No" vote on Nov. 6 will clear the way for forward progress on the entire project. And once completed, you'll be able to take a right at the bridge and drive down into the park. You can't miss it.

Plenty of Access

Source: Texas Department of Transportation

Courtesy of the Dallas Morning News, Sunday, October 7th 2007 Edition
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