![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/The-Eye-WTF-Photo-by-Lauren-Drewes-Daniels-e1777407946782.jpg\")
\n\t\t\t\t\t\tGot a question? We’ll go see about it. \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\tGot a question? We’ll go see about it. \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Photo by Lauren Drewes Daniels<\/p>\n
At this point, Dallasites are used to orange traffic cones popping up like spring daisies, but it\u2019s rare for the construction scenes to disappear all that quickly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Which is why, sometimes, we get so used to seeing a construction site that it completely fades into the background. That\u2019s what happened to us when it came to the Sylvan Avenue Bridge, which crosses the Trinity to connect West Dallas and the Design District. Cones have been on that bridge for more than a year, which inspired one of our readers, Jeff from Oak Cliff, to finally ask, \u201cWhat\u2019s up with that?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
So, for the latest addition of our Weekly WTF<\/a> series, we decided to find out.<\/p>\n Bridge in Progress<\/p>\n Sign up for the News newsletter to get the latest stories delivered to your inbox<\/p>\n THANK YOU!<\/p>\n You’re all set.<\/p>\n CLOSE\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n The Sylvan Avenue Bridge spans approximately 3,500 feet and was originally built to carry six lanes of traffic across the Trinity. <\/a>The bridge replaced an older roadway that sat at a lower elevation and often flooded, and, in an effort to encourage pedestrian traffic, protected sidewalks were installed on each shoulder.\u00a0<\/p>\n The bridge also has an unprotected bike lane,<\/a> and an access ramp midway across the bridge allows pedestrian and car traffic to access the floodway\u2019s Trammel Crow Park. Because pedestrian and bike traffic are already accounted for in the bridge\u2019s design, our reader Jeff was confused about why cones had suddenly appeared over a year ago, blocking a lane on each side of the bridge. <\/p>\n \u201cAt first, they poured what looked like concrete plant boxes that sat empty for a year, and cars occasionally were stuck on, but now they are filling them with bricks. There is already a pedestrian walkway and a bike lane, so why would they need to narrow the road for only the bridge portion?\u201d Jeff asked.\u00a0<\/p>\n As it turns out, the construction on the Sylvan Avenue Bridge is part of The Loop, the $135 million plan that will connect 50 miles of contiguous trail around Dallas. The Sylvan Avenue bridge is set to become the Discovery Gateway, connecting the Trinity Strand and Skyline Trails. The connection will also allow cyclists to access the Discovery Trail, which leads to Fort Worth.\u00a0<\/p>\n According to a spokesperson for The Loop, the eliminated traffic lane on each side of the bridge will be converted into a protected trail for walkers, runners and cyclists. While the bridge\u2019s original design included a hint of this infrastructure, the Oak Cliff Advocate noted in 2015 <\/a>that the bridge\u2019s unprotected bike lanes didn\u2019t exactly feel safe.\u00a0<\/p>\n When The Loop began tinkering with the bridge\u2019s design in 2021, the group said that eliminating two lanes of traffic on the bridge would slow vehicle speeds, creating a safer environment for pedestrian traffic.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cBut why did things sit there for so long without anyone working on them?\u201d Jeff is surely asking now.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"Sylvan](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/sylvan_bridge_emmaRuby.jpg\")
Signs of construction have been on the Sylvan Avenue Bridge for months. <\/p>\n