In southeast Dallas, some pedestrians in Joppa have resorted to walking precariously along a narrow bridge with speeding vehicles or squeezing between train cars to get back home.<\/p>\n
Funding was approved in 2019 and construction was initially expected to last until 2023<\/a>. Then, it was slated to begin in 2024<\/a>. Now, according to the city, a construction contract is expected in late fall with completion in spring 2029.<\/p>\n Neighbors are happy to have hope for progress but the fix is long overdue, said Shalondria Galimore, who leads Joppa\u2019s neighborhood association.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s disappointing,\u201d Galimore said of the delay. \u201cSad to say, we\u2019re used to it now. We\u2019ve been conditioned to it now.\u201d<\/p>\n Related: Reckoning with Joppa<\/a><\/p>\n Access has long been a problem in Joppa<\/a>, a former freedman’s town about 6 miles southeast of downtown, where residents have lived amid industrial facilities<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not just what we want, but it\u2019s critical for public safety. It\u2019s actually necessary,\u201d Galimore said. \u201cI know that other things take precedence across the city.\u201d<\/p>\n The city, in 2006, decided to build a bridge over the tracks \u2014 but for vehicles. Then in 2018, residents at a sparsely attended community meeting voted to allow Union Pacific to work on a new track and permanently close a crossing, Dallas Morning News architecture critic Mark Lamster wrote in 2020<\/a>.<\/p>\n A stipulation was made that the crossing be replaced with a pedestrian bridge.<\/p>\n In an emailed statement, the city said the project has involved coordination between the Texas Department of Transportation and the Union Pacific Railroad, \u201cgiven the impact of the project on the rail line and the rail yard.\u201d<\/p>\n The project also requires the city to acquire right-of-way along Linfield Road to ensure implementation.<\/p>\n The bridge project is paid for by federal funds reimbursed by TxDOT, but the city is responsible for its design and construction, an agency spokesperson said Thursday. In an emailed statement, Union Pacific said it continues to collaborate with city officials \u201cto resolve details in the plans\u201d for the project.<\/p>\n