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The Continental pedestrian bridge was one of Dallas’ best additions in 2014. It has great views, water features and play equipment for kids and the occasional food truck. Strolling the bridge, assuming the weather isn’t too hot, is genuinely pleasant. Building the Trinity toll road would seriously screw it up.
See also: Best Bridge Dallas 2014 – Continental Avenue Pedestrian Bridge on the Trinity
Dallas Assistant City Manager Jill Jordan told the City Council Wednesday that the eastern edge of the bridge, the part closest to downtown, will have “pedestrians, traffic and cyclists” coexisting if the toll road is built, because of an exit ramp.
“There’s an exit ramp from the southbound toll road that would come over the top of the levy. The ramp splits, and one of the two forks of the ramp comes in even with the Continental Bridge and we would have a traffic signal there so that the cars coming off of the ramp and off of the toll road would have to come to a stop and then pedestrians and cyclists who are coming up Continental from Victory and downtown could proceed across. A traffic signal would be put in to protect non-vehicle traffic,” Jordan said.
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Council member Philip Kingston backed up multiple speakers who talked about the harm the road would cause to the bridge park.
“If the toll road intersects with Continental, [the park] will basically be destroyed as a city asset,” he said. “[Business owners near the eastern end of the park] are petrified of the effect on property values. It’s so colossally stupid.”
