It’s been over a year since the epic implosion of the Texas Stadium in Irving Texas. This was a landmark of Texas, which housed the Dallas Cowboys for 38 years and saw 5 Super Bowl victories. With such a rich history, emotions were high when the stadium was destroyed on April 11th of last year. Though the stadium was in great disrepair, football fans around the world were sad to see the house of so many sports triumphs and memories brought to an end.
The stadium was set on 90 acres and it took weeks to clean up the debris, then it left a lurking question: what will be become of the site? Being in a prime location of Highway 114 and Loop 12, Tex Dot managed to purchase twelve acres for road improvement. According to Doug Janeway, Real Estate Service for the City of Irving, Tex Dot has also signed a ten year lease, which will help them develop a Diamond Interchange. This interchange is estimated to cost around $625 million. Phase 1, the construction plan and designing, is 50% complete. The southern end of the property is currently under design and Tex Dot wants to get an Orange Dart Line started that will have a gateway bridge going across Highway 114. This Dart line will also travel from Irving to DFW airport, which would be a great help to traffic going in and out of the airport on a daily basis. Having a Dart Line would be convenient for Irving residents because they would not need to worry about driving, parking, or taking a taxi to catch a flight.
Highway 183 is also under consideration to join in on this large transit oriented development, but nothing has been signed as of yet. And according to Janeway, there is still an opening for a developer to come in and strike a deal, if the idea was great enough to spark interest. There is an out-clause on the lease with Tex Dot, which would give them the option to relocate, if a reason should arise. And why would there be? With all the plans for improving transit, who wouldn’t want to take a Dart with their kids and tell them they are right where Texas Stadium once stood. Sounds like a great story on the ride to the airport.
