A dangerous stretch along Martin Luther King Boulevard in southern Dallas will receive a $21.8 million safety upgrade.
The City of Dallas announced Friday that a 2.5-mile roadway area known for regularly clocking high numbers of crash fatalities and severe injuries involving pedestrians will receive millions in federal taxpayer dollars to make safety improvements. For its part, the City will spend $5.25 million of its own taxpayer funds on the project.
The corridor targeted by the new plan runs south along Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Cedar Crest Boulevard from Fair Park to 11th Street.
The upgrade project will include lane reductions for motor vehicles, separated bike lanes, upgraded crosswalks, light fixtures, traffic signals, and improved access points to public transportation. The latter involves upgraded bus shelters, made possible through $200,000 in spending by DART, one of the many partners involved in the project. The North Central Texas Council of Governments, St. Phillips School and Community Center, the Real Estate Council, and the Federal Highway Administration also helped the initiative get off the ground, according to the City’s press release.
“We are so thrilled by the announcement of this grant for the City of Dallas and specifically the southern Dallas community — enormous thanks to our Congressional leadership as well as our partnering agencies for their efforts,” said Council Member Adam Bazaldua, who represents District 7, which includes the project area. “Knowing this significant investment will bring enhanced safety, community connection, and growth, this is a great step towards bringing a streetcar to the area.”
Not only did Dallas rank sixth for the most traffic-related deaths among 20 of the nation’s largest metros in 2020, but it was highest in the number of pedestrian deaths, according to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
A study conducted by ValuePenguin on the same data between 2016 and 2020 found that Dallas had five of the 25 deadliest roadways for pedestrians by city, as previously covered by The Dallas Express. These roads were Loop 12 with 34 deaths, I-35 with 28, I-635 with 20, I-30 with 17, and I-20 with 11.
The City of Dallas aims to bring all traffic deaths down to zero by 2030 through a roadmap approved last year as part of its “Vision Zero” initiative. Infrastructure improvements are but one element of the plan, with heightened police traffic enforcement, increased collision data tracking, and improved traffic safety awareness through educational campaigns.
The MLK Boulevard stretch in southern Dallas was not the only roadway in the city recently flagged for safety concerns.
As recently reported by The Dallas Express, video footage taken by the owner of a business near the infamous “3G” intersection in East Dallas showed a recent accident in which a woman’s car was T-boned and dragged through a dangerous intersection for several yards by a concrete truck. After years of public debate, the Texas Department of Transportation redesigned the intersection.