The Santiago Calatrava designed bridge linking Dallas' Financial District to its new urban frontier of West Dallas. The bridge is not completed in this picture, although it has been topped off. Suspension wires will stretch in both directions and the bridge will be illuminated at night. Photo taken 10-12-10 with Downtown Dallas Financial District in the background:
Downtown Dallas closeup of skyscrapers and the Calatrava Bridge, which has been topped off but is still under construction, 10-12-10. (http://www.flickr.com/photos/52949402@N03/5095161629/ - broken link) by
skys the limit2 (http://www.flickr.com/people/52949402@N03/ - broken link), on Flickr
View of the Calatrava Bridge illuminated in blue in recognition of the fact that Dallas was the host city for the NFC in Super Bowl XLV. Photo taken on 01-31-11:
Calatrava Bridge with Downtown Dallas 1, 01-31-11 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/52949402@N03/5408910231/ - broken link) by
skys the limit2 (http://www.flickr.com/people/52949402@N03/ - broken link), on Flickr
Another view of the Santiago Calatrava designed bridge (without suspension wires installed yet) with Downtown Dallas as the backdrop. Photo taken 01-31-11:
Calatrava Bridge with Downtown Dallas 2, 01-31-11 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/52949402@N03/5409496670/ - broken link) by
skys the limit2 (http://www.flickr.com/people/52949402@N03/ - broken link), on Flickr
And a third shot of the Santiago Calatrava bridge with Downtown Dallas right behind it, taken on 01-31-11:
Calatrava Bridge with Downtown Dallas 3, 01-31-11 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/52949402@N03/5409496638/ - broken link) by
skys the limit2 (http://www.flickr.com/people/52949402@N03/ - broken link), on Flickr
The 400 foot tall, $165 million dollar Calatrava Bridge, along with the extension of Woodall Rodgers Expressway from Downtown Dallas into West Dallas/Oak Cliff, are still under construction with completion expected in late 2011.
Magnificent suspension wires will stretch in both directions of the arch in a very "Golden Gate Bridge" like manner once completed. The bridge will be permanently illuminated at night.
In retrospect a decade from now, the Calatrava Bridge and its extension of Woodall Rodgers across the Trinity into West Dallas will be viewed as a keystone event that laid the groundwork for the next wave of dense urban development for Downtown Dallas.
Woodall Rodgers is the "golden corridor" for Downtown Dallas and has spawned billions in new development, both in Uptown/Victory Park and the more traditional Financial District. In fact, an argument could be made that Woodall Rodgers is becoming the new 21st century "Main Street" for Downtown Dallas with the explosive growth that has occurred along both the north and south sides of it.
West Dallas is currently essentially a wasteland, much like the land where the American Airlines Center and Victory Park were constructed. With the Woodall extension, West Dallas will become the next Victory Park/Uptown with billions in new dense urban development that will increase both the population and tax base for the City.
While some may like to call it a bridge to nowhere, in fact it is THE bridge to the future.
Plans call for over 30,000,000 square feet of new dense, walkable urban highrise and skyscraper development to be built in a relatively small footprint of West Dallas along with the addition of 24,000 residents in the next 17 years ... pretty incredible growth. It is the Calatrava Bridge and the new frontier it will open up that will help catapult Dallas into its status as the "Chicago of the South" by 2030.
Here is the planned development guideline developed by the City for the new urban frontier of West Dallas:
<a href="
http://www.dallascityhall.com/cityde...debook-eng.pdf" a>