DALLAS (KRLD) — Dallas officially opens Halperin Park Saturday morning as its second deck park spanning Interstate 35E in Oak Cliff near the Dallas Zoo.
The five-acre green space, built atop the freeway between South Ewing and Marsalis avenues, welcomes the public starting at 9 a.m. with a grand opening celebration that includes family activities, entertainment and community programming throughout the weekend.
The $300 million public-private partnership transforms a stretch of highway that long divided the neighborhood into a vibrant gathering place with a treehouse-themed playground, water features, a great lawn, performance shell and shaded spaces for events and concerts. Planners incorporated native landscaping, mass timber structures and design elements drawn from Oak Cliff’s natural geography and history.
City leaders and the Southern Gateway Public Green Foundation say the park reconnects communities separated by highway construction in the 1950s and is expected to draw more than two million visitors a year while generating roughly $1 billion in economic impact over its first five years. Developers already have plans for new housing, retail and mixed-use projects nearby.
The project involved years of community input from more than 500 residents, business owners and neighborhood advocates. Funding included city bond dollars, federal and regional transportation grants, and major private support such as a $23 million naming-rights gift from the Halperin Family Foundation.
Dallas Park and Recreation will manage the new park, which joins Klyde Warren Park as the city’s second major deck park. Officials hope it sparks renewed investment and activity in southern Dallas.
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