A City of Many Bridges

Dallas has another moniker,the City of Bridges and I don't mean Maggie 1 and Maggie 2 only. There are some 5,000 bridges in the Dallas area according to one Tex Dot estimate. The High 5 added 43 alone. So that got me to thinking. With the work on the High 5 complete, the LBJ Express pretty much done and the I-35 length of 28 miles of re-work plus the Horseshoe Project of the Mix master. The cost totals estimated are from Tex Dots project pages.

Dallas High 5 at $288 Million

I-35E  length  $4.8 Billion

Horseshoe Project $798 Million

That is a combined total of $5.886 Billion of new updated Highways  and I could not find the published cost on the first wave of the LBJ Express Project. It was possible to find how the tolls would be priced, however and some very neat graphics of the total number of lanes and sub-lanes for the project.

Realizing that money comes from all kinds of avenues from Federal to State etc.,etc., the totals do come out about what the news media reported initially when announcing the projects. This isn't about cost anyway. That is an interesting sidebar to the fact that Texans should be proud that they are riding on some of the best and most up-to-day highways in the nation while other states are talking about the vast need to do what Texans have been busy doing the past 15 years.

Recalling that morning that I made the last exit on the old LBJ at U.S. 75 ramp. The big drilling machines were on the clover leaf  to drill the footings for the big green columns. They now make up the 710 columns of the Dallas High 5. Even today, I recall that old clover leaf going north on Central Expressway to westbound LBJ 635. That evening, the exit was closed and detours were rerouted and I can still locate where eventually the one big green column ended up being in that cloverleaf. I will post those in addition to this post since I can only post three images at a time.

Sunday, I drove the new I-30 bridge that now is the Margaret McDermott bridge with the north arch now in place for the very first time. The pictures that follow are from the High 5, the LBJ Express and the I-35E at LBJ 635 and the Horseshoe and the Maggie 2 bridge.

LBJ635 at I-35E

LBJ 635 between Dallas High 5 and I-35E. Officially known as the LBJ Express Project 

The Horseshoe Project which is a remake of the Mix master and new bridges and lanes over the Trinity with the Santiago Calatrava Signature Bridge 2 to be know as the Margaret McDermott Bridge. Also, for ease of ID of the two Margaret Bridges, the McDermott bridge is dubbed Maggie 2 while the Margaret Hunt Hill is known as the Maggie 1. Dubbed for two reasons. First, by chronology in construction and second by the number of arches,  which both co-inside perfectly.

Hillary Is Such Old Potatoes

Check out these. The top of the arch is nearly 300 feet above grade.  Shorter than the Maggie 1's 400 feet.  It should be noted that the hike and bike paths are being attached to the north side just  below the roadway level. That will allow for the south crossover of the Trinity to the East Skyline Trails.

The second arch of the Margaret McDermott Bridge  aka Maggie 2 is in place. 

Quiet a view!

The VOR Antenna. Reminds me of the chair swings that go round and round. Except this little jewel is pretty high. 

Thank goodness, July is over. It was a terrible month here in Dallas.  Now, I just have to get past three months of old Potatoes, like Hillary Clinton. Come on Donald bring this heard of cows home.

So after all that, I had to go hang out near a few high places for a while yesterday. Been designing skateboards and it was perfect to get out of the house for a little bit.

Maggie 2 Update

It's been a while since this photographer was actually on site at the Maggie 2. One, it's been two wet and two, nothing exciting was taking place after the first, or south, arch was in place. While there has been some street photography from the Continental bridge park, keeping an eye on the Maggie 2 was also happening. As in any major construction project, things do not happen by logic. They happen as a result of logic. Upon closer examination of some old shots, it was clear that the cables had not been hung or were in the initial stages of being hung on the south arch. Logical; necessary, but non-glamorous for the camera's eye.

It now appears that some of the basic prep work is now happening on the north arch and things are beginning to get exciting once again as the second arch takes shape and changes the skyline once again. One must also remember that the work on the Maggie 2 will be much different than on the Maggie 1 in as much as the design is fundamentally different (Maggie 1 is a cable stayed bridge) and the Maggie 2 will have features of a suspension bridge. There is a big difference in the two structural designs. Needless-to-say, there is at least another years work on the bridge give or take a month or two--or three! But, also remembering the good point is going to be a pedestrian and bike section on the Maggie 2 that is not allowed on the Maggie 1.

So, here are a few 'at distant' shots of the Maggie 2 (Margaret McDermott Bridge).

Maggie 2 with the north transition piece in place

The next pieces are in position to be lifted and rest on the blue towers until  cabled.

The cables on the south arch running from top to bottom under the arch to the bridge decking.

Maggie 2 Arch Complete

Early this morning, in the cover of darkness, the contractor raised and fitted the final center piece of the arch on the Margaret McDermott Bridge that crosses the Trinity River on the eastbound IH30 side. Now, work can begin at the transition bases on the other side of the bridge. There, the second arch will transition out of the bedrock skyward into the air along the westbound lanes of traffic.

Unlike Maggie 1, the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge, also designed by Santiago Calatrava, famed Spanish Architect, the arch was placed by crane. Although it was a much shorter arch, but taller, the Maggie 2 center piece was raised much like an elevator to the top were it was bolted and welded into place.

 It was a bit after one o'clock this afternoon when I finished up my texture shoot and made my way down to the bridge, When I got out of the car, a local news anchor, was walking back to his car. I ask him when the arch was in place-- yesterday or this morning? He said that the work was done during the night beginning after midnight.  At 5 o'clock this evening, the news media had time-lapse of the raising. It seems that the local mainstream media all got heads-up on the event and the freelancers got nothing. And what we did get was after-the-fact.

 It is an insult to the freelancers who promote  the city as much and often-times more than the mainstream media, especially on events like this and  others likened to the move of  the Big Boy Union Pacific engine and all the cars and engines that were at Fair Park before the move to Frisco. But, that is the way the world works and Karma eventually will balance out those slaps in the face.

Former Mayor Tom Leppert,  knew how to promote the city using freelancers and he was a CEO of a major construction company.  Having said that, here are a couple of shots from this afternoons trip.

The eastbound arch is completed this morning.

A view of the east bound arch from the west side, where work will now begin on that arch.

The westside transition bases have been poured and cured for months, even before the floods in May.

Maggie 2 Update

The Margaret McDermott Bridge on I-30 crossing the Trinity River. This is the second Signature Bridge as part of the Trinity Corridor Project.

The construction of the Margaret McDermott (Maggie 2) is moving along about the same pace as when the Margaret Hunt Hill (Maggie 1) was under construction. Crews were working. The work field is mired in mud with all the rain that has been falling and the melting of the snow and ice. Also, I was rather taken aback when I finally realized that the final height of the center arch was a bit lower than I first thought. While the Maggie 1 risers to 400 feet above the Trinity, Maggie 2 will not be that tall. It is estimated to be 250 feet above the Trinity, some 150 feet less than the Maggie 1, but still a significant and respectable height.

With the weather being cold, blustery and damp, attending the St. Patrick's Day Parade on Greenville was passed up for the second year in a row. After lunch my prescriptions were ready for pick up. While out, I drove down to the bridge, which looks almost like it did last week. Then, I took Beckley to Zang Avenue to Bishop Street. The trolley lines are nearly ready. The station drop-off and pick-up points now have the weather and wind shield covers in place.

On the way over, I was wondering with the festive mood going on in Lower Greenville, if the Bishop Arts District would be rather down in attendance. Much to my surprise, the crowds were big, the lines were long and parking was just as bad as in Lower Greenville. It was encouraging for city growth to see both areas "going strong". It also occurred to me that the Dart Trolley would probably get used a lot.Current thinking is that the trolley would be full most of the time if not all the time. Lower Greenville doesn't have that service and it wouldn't take much to run the Trolley from City Place down Henderson to Greenville. Since Klyde Warren Deck Park was so successful, and with the extension of the trolley lines along both ends of the park the "M" is going to have more riders this summer than expected, I bet. Remember also, it isn't that far to the Perot Museum, either.

All-in-all, Dallas has it together and is showing signs that make economics fun. The amount of  construction going on is really amazing, especially in roadways, airports, public transportation. The Trinity Corridor was, without doubt, the development catalyst equal to what DFW was for the city.

Birth of Maggie 2 Has Occured

This is the third day in a row that I have gotten  multi-mile walks done. My strength seems to be coming back as well and I am happy about that. It's been a long journey getting back to as normal as I can remember. My primary care physician and my cardiologist are to thank for most of my good health return.

So, with spring-like temperatures back in north Texas, and two previous days of successful walks, I set out on the longest of the walks.  I drove out Mockingbird to Singleton Blvd. to the base of the Maggie 1 (Margaret Hunt Hill) Bridge to the plaza parking lot. I dreaded going down the steep ramps because the last time I tried to walk it, the grade was a bit of a strain on my cardio system. But, deciding that I would worry about that on the return trip, down the ramp I went. It took me about one-half hour to walk under the Maggie 1, the Union Pacific railroad bridge, the Commerce Street bridge and finally arriving at the I-30 bridge construction site. I felt pretty good too. One of the project engineers was on site with his family and we talked about the project for a bit before they headed out and I started to shoot the site. It was a perfect day with great sun angles and blue sky and most of all--a very light breeze.The flags flapped in the breeze in slow motion. Perfect!

It is amazing how what you learned from shooting Maggie 1 and can now be seen talking shape on nearly the same time table as before. I had estimated that the first arch piece was due to be fitted somewhere around this weekend and sure enough, as I got closer and could see the abutment transition base, it was obvious that the first piece was in place. The engineer said that the next four pieces were on site. This bridge, while totally different than Maggie 1, is still a massive construction project and the arches are as massive as the arches on the Maggie 1. The excitement could be felt building the longer that I was on site because I have always enjoyed big construction projects like these from a very early age. There is just something about how things come together and in a prescribed amount of time, bingo! you have a finished project and move on to the next one.

There were several photographers at the site on and off, This bridge will get more attention more quickly because it was easier seen from present day I-30 whereas on Maggie 1, the extension of the Woodall Rodgers had to be built and tied into Singleton Blvd that wasn't near as built up as it is today. And, people have had time to learn about the projects and build their own kind of curiousness. The opening of the Trinity Skyline Trail and the Santa Fe Trestle Trail have added much awareness to the project.

Therefore, Maggie 2 is born and can only grow out of the Terra firma  taking its bends from the abutment transition base skyward as it eventually will draw to completion in another  landmark architecture in the form of another bridge. Dallas is a bridge building city without question. By TxDot counts there are some 5000 plus bridges in the Dallas area. It is no wonder that Dallas now will have two remarkable landmarks as bridges. From the early days of the first Dallas TV series when the aerial shot came over downtown and headed out over all the bridges going away from downtown into historic archives, It's going to be interesting to see where the Maggie 1 and the Maggie 2 turn up in future television episodes of any kind.

The birth of the bridge as the first arch piece rises from the abutment transition base.

This is the third abutment transition base, Number 2 is curing at present having been poured already.