Work is ramping up in Oak Cliff to finish the street-car expansion project ahead of schedule.
The new tracks are scheduled to be completed in two weeks, and the contractors are bringing in dozens of workers every day get the job done.
The city will spend $2 million a year to operate and maintain the expanded downtown-to-Bishop Arts streetcar.
Some city administrators believe the extra mile of track will bring in thousands of fresh faces to the neighborhood every week.
Outside Kathy Hodgin’s hair salon on Beckley Avenue, dozens of construction workers battled the heat all day Thursday to pour fresh concrete on the streetcar line.
The work began seven months ago, and Hodgin says the lane closures, detours and noise have been a constant headache for her.
"It’s been a terrible inconvenience. I’m sure it’s all in the name of progress, but it's been a nightmare this whole year," said Hodgin, who owns Salon on the Square. "I still have to take the time the email my clients to tell them the back-roads to take to get here, otherwise they’ll end up 20 or 30 minutes late to their appointment."
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But the end is in sight. The city expects the "substantial completion" in two more weeks. Dry-test-runs will begin shortly after that, then a grand opening in August.
"We’re basically in the finishing stages now," said Dallas construction administrator Mark Rauscher. "It’s a real game-changer for us, and we’re getting more excited."
The expansion adds almost a mile of streetcar tracks, and the line ends in heart of fast-growing Bishop Arts District.
"It’s a big deal for the city of Dallas, for DART. Bishop Arts District is a growing entertainment area that’s getting more and more popular," Rauscher said.
Hodgin says she’s excited, too.
"I’m an old time Oak Cliffer, so it’s exciting to see what the rest of the city will think about this part of the city that we’ve known and loved all-along," she said."
The expanded streetcar should open sometime in August. Trains will run every 20 minutes.
