While I was at City Hall today, Joanna Singleton sent word that the Texas Department of Transportation has selected Archer Western, which has done work on the rail expansion for Dallas Area Rapid Transit, to handle construction of the $43-million-plus Woodall Rodgers Deck Park. Her press release also notes the groundbreaking on the public-private project -- which received $16.7 million in Obamabucks in March and $265,000 from Keep Dallas Beautiful in June -- will be held September 14.

But when will folks who cross over Woodall Rogers begin experiencing, ya know, delays?  Probably "late September, October," Singleton tells Unfair Park this evening. I called her because I noticed this on the city council's August 12 meeting agenda:

An ordinance for closing and vacating a portion of Harwood Street, containing approximately 13,623 square feet of land, located near its intersection with Woodall Rodgers Freeway for the Woodall Rodgers Deck Plaza Project - Financing: No cost consideration to the City.

The agenda item, which contains the ordinance calling for the closure and vacating of the street over Woodall Rodgers, isn't more specific about the dates. And Singleton says she can't be more specific about when the closure will take place because TxDOT hasn't yet approved Archer Western's construction plan. That should happen sooner or later, at which point Archer Western should have a local point person with whom the Woodall Rodgers Park Foundation and city officials can communicate. But for those who haven't been paying close attention, yes, Harwood's about to become pedestrians-only. You've been warned.

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