Rudolph Bush reports that the major gift to the Trinity River project is a $10 million gift to convert the Continental Avenue Bridge to a pedestrian bridge.
The gift is anonymous, but in honor of Mary McDermott Cook, who chairs the Trinity Trust Foundation.
The existing Continental Avenue Bridge is next to the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge, which is under construction north of downtown. The Hill bridge is the first Trinity bridge from Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, who was in town for today's gift announcement.
"This landmark $10 million anonymous gift given to the City of Dallas gives us the funds to convert the Continental Bridge into a pedestrian and living bridge for everyone in Dallas to enjoy," said Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert.
He praised Cook for "her tireless vision for Dallas."
Cook said: "This gift will transform the Continental Bridge into an outdoor venue for walkers, bikers, and potentially, a future trolley line across the Trinity River. It will be beautifully landscaped and include the infrastructure and facilities for recreational events, markets and fairs."
Cook is the daughter of Margaret McDermott, for whom a second planned Calatrava bridge is named. That bridge would replace the existing Interstate 30 bridge over the Trinity.
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The firm specializes in sustainable building and also is focusing on the renewal of a suburban area in Denmark by tying in an existing recreational area with the rest of the city by expanding it and adding a "green activity zone" using paths that link one area to another. This creates unique neighborhood zones where each is diverse in it's relationship to the city and the surrounding landscape.
