Major upgrades coming to Lemmon Avenue-Love Field Gateway
DALLAS (CBSNewsTexas.com) - Whether you live near Dallas Love Field or if Lemmon Avenue is your gateway to a getaway: brace for some big changes. Progress is coming, ushered in, of course, with construction.
"It's just like every day there's more and more of the project being completed just down the street," says Darren Doutt, who lives in a nearby neighborhood. "It's great."
Construction is just beginning on the project that encompasses the area along Lemmon Avenue from Collville Avenue to Shorecrest Drive, and Shorecrest Drive from Lemmon to Webb Chapel Extension.
According to city leaders, the upgrades will make the area safer, more accessible, and more attractive: with a new gateway feature, sidewalks, bicycle paths and more.
"I've seen the plans online and it looks like, you know, it's some really great upgrades, artistic choices, enhancements to the playgrounds and the basketball courts with art fixtures and whatnot," explains Doutt. "I think it's a win-win for everybody in this neighborhood."
The planned upgrades will be readily visible to commuters who will see new landscaping, lighting, traffic signals and signage.
There's also a lot for those who aren't just passing through, like a new 'pocket park' and upgrades to Midway Manor Park.
Natalie Steinke lives nearby.
"A lot of people already use the park already to play football or catch with their animals," explains Steinke. "I'm definitely excited about improvements, but it is going to take a little while to get it done, so... our quiet neighborhood is about to be kind of exposed."
Steinke loves to travel and says the proximity to Love Field airport is a plus. And she now calls the jet noise part of the neighborhood's "ambiance."
"At first you definitely notice it, but now no, I don't. I don't ever think about it."
Still, the city's aviation department continues to work on agreements to minimize the noise, especially late at night. The next challenge? Getting all airport users on board, and not just the airlines.
Meetings with stakeholders have prompted a number of recommendations that the department shared with the City Council on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, neighbors are bracing for construction delays. The project is slated for completion in early 2025.
"Something's always going on," admits Steinke. "But not at this level."
Other neighbors are also looking forward to the payoff, when progress takes off, nearby.
"Absolutely. It's great to see a change in this neighborhood for the better," says Doutt. "There's lots and lots of new homes being built in this neighborhood. And it's just going to increase the value of our homes and the curb appeal. It's going to be a really nice enhancement."
Especially for those who aren't just passing through.
And Doutt is certain about that.
"No. It's home."
