News from the River (Cont.)

1000 Ton Crane at Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge Site

It takes a strong crane to lift the 25 steel cylinder pieces fabricated for the 400 foot tall center arch of the new Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge, and there is a 1000 ton Manitowoc lifting crane on site getting ready for the job of not just lifting heavy pieces but raising them high into the air.

Two weeks ago, the crane was brought to Dallas by Williams Brothers Construction Co., Inc. and Cimolai for the express purpose of erecting the center arch.  It came in 16 pieces and has been assembled on the floodway.  In early summer, commuters will be able to watch the process of hefting the cylinder pieces, one on either side of the column anchors, with the welders working to secure the cylinders into place.

By mid-summer, Williams Brothers will be working on 400 feet of roadway on the east and west levees to meet the roadway approaches built by J.D. Abrams. At this time, commuters cannot see the utility activity on the west levee because much of it is underground or near Sylvan Avenue.  ONCOR is nearing the completion of the utility realignments and improvements and in the months ahead, construction will begin at Singleton comprised of raising the roadways of Beckley Avenue, Singleton Blvd. and Canada Drive to the same height as the bridge.

Most of the construction has focused on steel and concrete up to this point in time. As the cable-stayed portion of the steel bridge continues to be assembled, the next phases of construction will include large volumes of dirt brought into the area to complete the roadway connections.

The “Suspense is Building” Dallas. Mark your calendar, the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge will open in 2011!

Horses and Helicopters

The Trinity Trust Rat Pack, joined by board members from the Trinity Trust Foundation, the Texas Horse Park and the Trinity River Audubon Center held an exciting and innovative orientation event on May 12 at the Trinity River Audubon Center to help provide interested members of the Rat Pack and other perspective donors with a 300 - 500 feet altitude view of the landscape.

Entitled, “Horses and Helicopters”, the participants at the event had a chance to zoom away on Zebra Air and fly over the future location of the Texas Horse Park. In addition, land tours where available for guests to travel by “coach” and experience the horse trails on the 600 acre site.

Guests boarded zebra striped helicopters and took aerial tours showcasing the perfect symmetry of the land designated for the Texas Horse Park along Pemberton Road and Loop 12 South.  Guests viewed thick stands of urban bottomland hardwood forest, brilliant green meadows and old and new trails; the new horse trails courtesy of the hard work of Groundwork Dallas teams and Trinity Trust Foundation volunteers.

A Texas-size thanks goes out to Mary and James Rhoades, owners of Zebra Air, Inc., who donated their time and the helicopters for the event, with their chief pilot in the cock pit, Kenneth Montgomery.