Flood Concerns Raised Over Trinity Toll Road Proposal in Dallas

Details are emerging about the proposed Trinity Toll Road in Dallas. The route’s proximity to the Trinity River has provided more fuel for the project’s opponents.

2 minute read

April 15, 2014, 12:00 PM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Trinity River Dallas Floodplain

Patrick Feller / Flickr

Robert Wilonsky reports on a recent meeting of the Dallas City Council’s Transportation and Trinity Corridor Project Committee, which brought to light new details of a proposal to build a “six-lane toll road the city along the east levee of the Trinity River between Interstate 45/U.S. 175 to the Interstate 35E and State Highway 183 merge.”

The meeting examined the proposed plan's final environmental impact statement, as prepared by the Federal Highway Administration. The crux of the controversy arising from the hearing: the proposed route's proximity to, and protection from, the Trinity River's floodplain. “For much of its nine-mile length, the road will extend around 535 feet into the floodway; there’s a plan for a ‘flood separation wall’ that’s not even as high as the existing levees; and in some instances the road runs almost right next to the river,” writes Wilonsky.

Wilonsky quotes the reaction of Dallas City Council member Scott Griggs, who has this to say about the project’s proposed flood control infrastructure: “This is the first time we got a sense of how far the road goes into the green space…And the flood wall only halfway up the levees. If you live near the levees you know why they’re as tall as they are, and not half their height. It gets up there, like it did in 1990. And now I am concerned about the safety of people using the road during storms.”

And here’s Dallas Morning News Architecture Critic Mark Lamster’s take on Wilonsky’s article and the toll road project, via Twitter:

The project still requires approval by the FHWA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which will release its own EIS later this week. The Trinity Toll Road project is connected to a plan to create a series of lakes as an open space resource, funded by $31.5 million in voter approved bond money from 1998.

Monday, April 14, 2014 in Dallas Morning News

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 16, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Green vintage Chicago streetcar from the 1940s parked at the Illinois Railroad Museum in 1988.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails

Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

July 13, 2025 - WTTV

Blue and silver Amtrak train with vibrant green and yellow foliage in background.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail

The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

July 14, 2025 - Smart Cities Dive

Worker in yellow safety vest and hard hat looks up at servers in data center.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power

Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

July 18 - Inside Climate News

Former MARTA CEO Collie Greenwood standing in front of MARTA HQ with blurred MARTA sign visible in background.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns

MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

July 18 - WABE

Rendering of proposed protected bikeway in Santa Clara, California.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant

A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.

July 17 - San José Spotlight