It could be three more years before the Margaret McDermott pedestrian bridge across the Trinity River is open. The bridge was substantially completed in 2017 and was to open that year, but problems with support cables have plagued the structure.
The $100 million hike and bike paths on both sides of the I-30 highway bridge were designed by famous architect Santiago Calatrava. They were a compromise from a much more expensive bridge that was to support the highway crossing, as well. Instead the freeway traffic crosses the river over a standard bridge with support piers under the roadway.
When NBC 5 last reported on problems with the Hike and Bike bridge in January 2018, city officials hoped the problems could be solved within months.
A year later, an email from the City of Dallas Wednesday said the city is still waiting for information from the State of Texas about the cost of necessary work on the cables. The email said the cost could be as high as $10 million and up to 36 months of work could be required.
City officials have been fighting with the state, the contractors and the architect over who should pay for the work.
Barricades are posted on all entrances to block use of the pedestrian bridges.
