Dallas Celebrates Inauguration of The Calatrava Bridge

By Camelia Bulea, Associate Editor

Designed by Santiago Calatrava, the bridge that crosses the Trinity River in Dallas was recently welcomed by Dallasites with an opening party with thousands of participants.

The Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge, named after a local philanthropist who donated $12 million to the new project, cost $182 million to build. The cable-stayed bridge supports its length with 58 steel cords strung from a 400-foot-high arch, creating a delicate white form that resembles a string instrument, according to Architectural Record. When complete, at the end of March 2012, the 1,870-foot car-only bridge will connect Downtown Dallas to its West section.

The bridge is part of the Trinity River Corridor Project, a $1 billion plan meant to rehabilitate a 20-mile stretch of the river with new infrastructure, better flood protection, recreation areas and a toll road, according to the project’s Web site.

Work on the major plan started in 1998, attracting critics and controversy over the years, from costs to the environmental effects. Still, those opposing the project, as well as the project’s supporters, agree that this bridge will be an important catalyst and development factor for the area.

In other interesting news, New Breed Logistics has leased 250,000 square feet of industrial space to fulfill a logistics contract with the U.S. Postal Service, according to the Dallas Business Journal. The North Carolina-based company will occupy half of the industrial building within Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.

According to Citybizlist.com, J. Cannon Green and Blake Kendrick, managing directors of Stream Realty Partners L.P., represented Clarion Partners, landlord of the 500,000-square-foot distribution center at DFW International Airport. Allen Gump with Colliers International represented the tenant.

Photo credits: Flickr user ccrenshaw