Photos and video: “Bridging the Trinity” party serves up Calatrava, Leppert, Hutchison — and fireworks!

by John P. Meyer

Since there was nothing much happening around Dallas on Friday, Sept. 25, I decided to drop in on the big Trinity Trust whingding going on that evening. This street fair was held on the closed-to-regular-traffic Continental Ave. bridge across the Trinity.

The event was held in celebration of: a) the arrival of big Italian steel structural pieces on the neighboring site of the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge, which will begin being hoisted into place by the end of this year; and b) an anonymous gift of $10 million earmarked to support the conversion of the Continental Ave. bridge into a pedestrian and living bridge for Dallasites. The gift was made in honor of Mary McDermott Cook, chair of the Trinity Trust Foundation. Cook thinks the converted Continental bridge (see computer rendering) will come to be known as Dallas' "party bridge."

Just what Dallas needs, right? Another place to party. (Though this one is planned as a public venue, accessible to all, regardless of disposable income.)

In order to join the crowd of $150-per-ticket revelers, I had to clear a police blockade at the turnoff from Industrial onto Continental westbound -- but this proved only a matter of responding "yes" to the question of whether I was there to attend the private party. (The officers could clearly see I was wearing a tie -- one of two I'm proud to call my own -- so I must have fit the profile.) Once past security, I was directed to the valet parking stand and handed a receipt for the PegMobile, which was driven away to parts unknown. (Vaya con Dios, noble steed!)

A short hike up to the apex of the bridge span brought me into close proximity with Boys Named Sue. (I mean the band, not a support group of like-named individuals. Who might very well need a support group.) It also opened up a vast expanse of vendor stalls offering up complimentary exotics such as cheese enchiladas, sliders of various sorts, and alcoholic beverages ranging from beer to watermelon shooters.

There were two big projection screens located next to the podium where our dignitaries would hold forth when the time was right, and beyond them was the most elegant set of trailer-housed porta-potties one could hope for.

Off to the south in the Trinity River bottoms, merely a couple hundred feet away, sat the white steel girder and arch pieces (rectangular and round) set for imminent erection -- to my inexpert eye looking little different than when I'd visited them there with TxDOT's Cynthia Northrop White a couple of weeks previously.

As the crowd began to swell, I positioned myself at some advantage to photograph the podium. (Or, rather, the dignitaries who would soon be standing, speaking from the podium.) I nabbed an excellent vantage on the raised curb of the bridge from whence not even the tallest of Texans might obstruct my view. Three problems emerged:

1) A guy on stilts dressed head-to-toe (and beyond) in ivy began lumbering towards me;

2) Members of this $150/tic crowd were not shy about elbowing their way in front of me, forcing me farther back against the bridge abutment;

3) The dignitaries for some damn reason decided to make their grand entrance aboard a bus, whose honking approach served to further compact the crowd and add additional bodies between me and the dais. Undeterred, I put my big Japanese lens to poking good use.

Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert started out by thanking everyone who had been supportive of the Trinity River project thusfar (including all those in attendance). He also "hinted" that another announcement of funding (to the tune of an additional $5 million) would be forthcoming by next Wednesday (Sept. 30). He gave an additional nod of thanks to presenting sponsor Williams Construction.

U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison made an enthusiastic, almost challenging promise that -- not only would the bridge project be completed -- but the rest of the planned segments of the Trinity Project would also come to fruition, regardless of the tough economic times or any other sort of headwind-related eventualities.

Bridge designer Santiago Calatrava offered up his prayer (informal -- no head-bowing involved) that no workers would be injured during the construction of the bridge. Which seemed to me like the most important statement of the evening.

The loudest statement of the evening, however, came following the dignitary comments, when a ten-minute fireworks display -- shot from the river bottoms to the south -- lit up the sky, then ripped it asunder with cannonades. Very impressive, and money well spent (IMHO). TIP: Cut to the 8 1/2 minute mark of the video for the grand finale.

I just love the smell of gunpowder in the evening.

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