Army Corps Finally Clears Way for Dallas' Trinity River Project

"[Dallas'] long-standing plans for parks, improved levees and a road in the Trinity River corridor got the green light Monday from the Army Corps of Engineers, clearing the way for Dallas to pursue federal funding for the project," report Elizabeth Findell and Brandon Formby.

The record of decision (RoD), the technical term for the Army Corps of Engineers action, concludes "that no environmental or hydrological concerns should preclude the project," according to the article. With the RoD in place, the city can move forward with a $572 million comprehensive plan in the works since the mid-1990s.

It's important to note that the decision does not directly impac the controversial Trinity Toll Road proposal. The RoD approves the city's plans for the Trinity corridor with the road or without it.

As for what the comprehensive plan entails: "Dallas’ vision for the Trinity corridor — now little more than an uninviting ditch in places — calls for lakes, plazas, green spaces, athletic fields, trails, an amphitheater and other attractions." The article includes more details on the project, including some of the improvements made in recent years along the corridor by the city and the Texas Department of Transportation.

Rudolph Bush followed the release of the RoD with an op-ed explaining the importance of the Army Corps' decision to the improvement of the Trinity River plan.