Rendering courtesy of the Trinity Park Conservancy

An overview rendering of Harold Simmons Park in Dallas.

Demolition began on Oct. 22, 2024, for Harold Simmons Park, a 250-acre park in Dallas along the Trinity River, Fox4 reported.

The park will be situated northwest of Interstate 35E and the Margaret McDermott Bridge near Reunion Tower in downtown Dallas.

Rendering courtesy of the Trinity Park Conservancy

Park plans include 50 acres of skyline overlooks, skate parks, splash pads, roller rinks, gardens, trails, kayaking and canoeing and sports courts, among other entities, Fox4 reported. Approximately 200 acres inside the levees, including the river, will be set aside as a nature preserve.

Beckley Avenue, which passes through the site, will be covered by a tunnel, creating a land bridge above, 5NBC reported.

The demolition contractors include BECK Construction Group of Dallas; EJ Smith Construction Co. of DeSoto, Texas; and Crossland Construction Co. of Prosper/Fort Worth, Texas, according to the Trinity Park Conservancy.

The park is expected to cost approximately $325 million, with both public and private funding involved. Annette Simons, the wife of park namesake Harold Simmons, a late billionaire businessman, donated $50 million for the park in 2016.

Construction is expected to last approximately three years, with site clearing likely to take several months.

In conjunction with the project, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is working on improvements to the Trinity River Floodway and associated levees, according to the Trinity Park Conservancy website.

When completed, the park is anticipated to create 530 jobs and attract 4-6 million visitors annually, according to Fox4.

The park has been more than 25 years in the making, as voters approved an initial plan in 1998, Dallas Innovates reported.

Rendering courtesy of the Trinity Park Conservancy

"When I first got to Dallas. I heard a lot of different conversations that this park has been in the works for 10 years, 20 years, even 100 years," Tony Moore, CEO of the Trinity Park Conservancy, said at the groundbreaking. "And the park we have today is significantly different than the park that we initially started with. But nevertheless, this is an exciting time for us."

"Building green infrastructures in a built environment is a highly complex job that requires a lot of different pivoting and adjustments and acquiring the land, the right location that's suitable for a park, and working with the community in ensuring this park resonates with the community," Moore said. "And working with a city and all the civic entities from a funding point of view and from a support point of view."

The park's designer is Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates of New York City, while San Antonio-based architecture firm Lake Flato and Wernerfield Architects of Dallas also are working on the project.

More than 1,600 trees and 4,000 bushes and shrubs have already been planted.

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