The massive $1.7 trillion omnibus spending bill passed by Congress on December 22 contains in its 4,155 pages nearly $8 million in taxpayer funding to support the second phase of Southern Gateway Park in Southern Dallas.
Reps. Eddie Bernice Johnson, Colin Allred, and Marc Veasey — Dallas’ congressional delegation — helped push the inclusion of the funds into the bill.
Southern Gateway Public Green Foundation President and Chief Operating Officer April Allen said the $7.75 million assistance is the first funding obtained for the park’s second phase.
“It represents a watershed moment” for the project, Allen said.
“As we draw nearer the finish line for funding phase one and look forward to funding and building phase two, we are incredibly grateful for the support of Congresswoman Johnson, Congressman Veasey, and Congressman Allred, as well as Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson and the many local partners who have supported us from the beginning,” Allen said in a statement.
On December 23, the mayor took to Twitter to proclaim his enthusiasm, calling the funding a “major investment in Oak Cliff and in the quality of life of the people of Dallas.”
Praising the congressional representatives, Johnson said, “This is what effective legislators do.”
The new park will eventually cover five acres beside the Dallas Zoo. It “will span I-35E in Southern Dallas between Ewing and Marsalis Avenues,” according to the project’s website. It will include a new playground, water feature, outdoor classroom, and food truck space, among other amenities.
Rep. Johnson called the infrastructure project “innovative” and “important for so many reasons.”
“It reconnects a community long separated by the National Highway System to public transportation and other new amenities while creating five acres of green space and new economic development opportunities for local residents,” she said.
The park’s initial phase is anticipated to cost taxpayers $82 million, with related amenity construction set to begin in 2023. The Southern Gateway Public Green Foundation said it expects the park to open in early 2024.
Rep. Allred called the project “more than just a park.” Southern Gateway “is more about connecting communities back together,” he said in a statement.
“I am so proud we were able to secure this funding to help move this project forward,” he added. Allred also expects the park “will spur economic growth and development in the region.”
Rep. Veasey said he was “proud to have voted on a bipartisan government package that included more than $7 million that I secured for the Southern Gateway project here in North Texas.”
The congressman went on to say that the “Southern Gateway Park will help ignite important environmental, economic, and community revitalization throughout the historic Oak Cliff area.”
The new park is expected to draw over two million visitors yearly while generating more than $1 billion in revenue during its first five years.
