News from the River (Cont.)

Steel is in Houston for Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge (con't)

Construction teams from Williams Brothers (inside the levees) and J. D. Abrams Inc. building columns for the future ramps and main lanes on the east side of the Trinity River levee -- work within the guidelines and specifications of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, TxDOT and the City of Dallas. The steel segments scheduled to arrive include arch pylons and central box segments, each tall enough for a person of average height to walk into them with two other people standing on each other’s shoulders. The current shipping list includes: Twelve Central Box Segments, Eight Arch Pylons, forty-one Floor Beams, and one type C Floor Beam for the Center Segment of the bridge.

A Remarkable Architect Comes to Town

Santiago Calatrava was in town in late March and had the opportunity to see the progress of the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge and speak to various groups about this work and the progress of the bridge. He has designed 41 bridges in 17 countries and his work is truly famous around the world. 

In his interview with TxDOT at the Trinity Center and filmed by the Transportation Technology Institute from Texas A & M University, Mr. Calatrava reflected on the work still ahead to complete the bridge. "Bridges have an enormous force of transformation,” he said. “To do new things, as we are doing, demands an enormous concentration of everybody and also an enormous generosity of spirit and belief that we can achieve it."

Watch our progress!

Corps of Engineers Periodic Inspection Report
Dallas Floodway Project Report 9

The City of Dallas announced the Final Report Findings for the Dallas Levee System. The final report states that the Dallas Floodway System is rated as unacceptable. On April 1, in anticipation of receiving the final U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Periodic Inspection www.dallascityhall.com, the City staff provided a briefing during the Dallas City Council Meeting. The briefing contained information regarding the inspection and associated rating provided to the City late on March 31. City staff also informed the Council of the ongoing efforts to resolve many of the identified deficiencies, and reminded them that the Trinity River Corridor Project, in conjunction with our State and federal partners, contains many elements that will restore our levees to provide proper flood protection. Since the new rating system went into effect, over 240 levee systems have been rated as unacceptable. Included in this list for Texas are Irving, Fort Worth and El Paso. A micro site with the recent documents and information from this report can be viewed at www.dallascityhall.com on the Homepage. See the first item in the center pane of the page.

Copies of the report can be requested from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers through the Freedom of Information Act via e-mail to Delene.R.Smith@usace.army.mil or via mail at CESWF-OC, Attn: Delene Smith, FOIA officer, 819 Taylor Street, Room 2A08, Fort Worth Texas 76102. The report is on CD and can also be obtained from the City of Dallas by contacting Frank Librio at 214-670-3322 or write to him at City of Dallas, Public Information Office, 1500 Marilla 4E South, Dallas, TX 75201.