Ronald Kirk Bridge

The Ronald Kirk Bridge is a pedestrian footbridge over the Trinity River in Dallas, Texas. It connects Downtown Dallas and West Dallas, paralleling the 2012 Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge for vehicles, and the 1930 Texas and Pacific Railway Trinity River Bridge.

Ronald Kirk Pedestrian Bridge
Ronald Kirk Bridge in 2015
Coordinates32°46′51″N 96°49′22″W
CarriesPedestrians (since June 15, 2014)
CrossesTrinity River
LocaleContinental Ave. in Dallas, Texas
Official nameRonald Kirk Bridge
Other name(s)Lamar-McKinney Viaduct, Continental Avenue Bridge
Named forRon Kirk
OwnerCity of Dallas
Characteristics
DesignMulti-span plate girder bridge
Materialconcrete, steel
Total length2,105 feet (642 m)
Width60 feet (18 m)
No. of spans43
History
DesignerFrancis Dey Hughes
Constructed byL.H. Lay Company
Construction start1929 (1929)
Construction end1930 (1930)
Opened1932 (1932)
Closed2013 (2013) (vehicular)
Replaced byMargaret Hunt Hill Bridge (vehicular)
Lamar-McKinney Bridge
Area3 acres (1.2 ha)
MPSHistoric Road Infrastructure of Texas, 1866-1965
NRHP reference No.15000708[1]
Added to NRHPOctober 5, 2015
Ronald Kirk Bridge
Location in Texas
Ronald Kirk Bridge
Ronald Kirk Bridge (the United States)

History

Constructed as the Lamar-McKinney Viaduct in 1933, the original road bridge was built to carry vehicles across the periodically swelling Trinity River to West Dallas. It was completed 27 years after the river's 1908 flood that submerged most of the area.

The bridge was renamed the Ronald Kirk Bridge in 2016 from its former name, the Continental Avenue Bridge. It was renamed in honor of the first African-American mayor of Dallas, Ronald Kirk.[2]

Restoration

The bridge had fallen into a state of disrepair by 2010, when plans were being developed to reconstruct Continental Avenue and the bridge. During the reconstruction of the bridge it was decided that there was no need for it to carry vehicular traffic, since the nearby Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge was completed in 2012 to do so. The design as a footbridge complemented the nearby open park plan for Klyde Warren Park, as a recreation amenity.[3]

The Ronald Kirk Bridge reopened on Sunday, June 15, 2014 (Father's Day). It opened with a playground, a splash park, lounge chairs, human-sized chess boards, and a ceiling of cloth to shade the area, along with many trails surrounding the bridge in the Trinity River Basin and on the levees.[4]

This bridge is part of the greater Trinity River Project.[5]

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See also

References
  1. Herrington, Jeff (November 14, 2014). "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form" (PDF). National Park Service. Retrieved August 28, 2018.
  2. "Fox 4 News-Dallas Bridge Named for Former Mayor Ron Kirk". Retrieved 7 July 2016.
  3. "KERA News-'It's Fabulous:' Dallas' Continental Bridge Reopens As A Park -- No Cars Allowed". Retrieved 17 June 2014.
  4. "Dallas Morning News-All-day party celebrates Continental bridge reopening". Retrieved 17 June 2014.
  5. "Trinity River Project-Continental Ave. Bridge". Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 17 June 2014.

Media related to Lamar-McKinney Bridge at Wikimedia Commons

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