The Near Southside of Fort Worth is hosting a meeting Tuesday evening where people can meet artists who may design changes to two highway interchanges. The Near Southside is looking at ways to improve safety at 35W and Rosedale and I-30 and Main.
"Basically, we have this opportunity to improve these gateway entrances to the Near Southside, which are also gateway entrances to downtown or to Historic Southside," says Near Southside President Mike Brennan. "We use those underpasses every day. We drive through them. They're not great looking. If you're walking or riding a bicycle, it's not a really pleasant experience at either of those underpasses."
Brennan says the Near Southside may submit for TIF funding to widen sidewalks or add bike lanes at the underpasses. He says they may also hire artists to improve lighting or add murals and other public art pieces.
"There are so many good examples of transformed underpasses across the state, across the country," he says. "Now we've got a great example of Hemphill connecting to downtown."
In 2020, the City of Fort Worth, North Central Texas Council of Governments and TxDOT completed an underpass beneath I-30 providing a continuous route from Hemphill into downtown. The project included two 30-foot wide sidewalks.
The Near Southside is working with Downtown Fort Worth Inc and Fort Worth Public Art on the design phase now. People who attend a meeting Tuesday evening can meet artists who have worked on similar projects in other cities.
In one case, Birmingham, Alabama hired artist Bill Fitzgibbons to design lighting at a railroad underpass. He says the spot has become a popular spot for wedding proposals and food trucks.
"That's the magic of public art," he says. "It can have a very powerful placemaking aspect."
Resite Studio has designed public art at Love Field. The studio's Norman Lee says the work is designed to look like contrails, describing them as "calm and meditative." He says a project at El Paso International Airport was designed to show the influence of different cultures in the region.
The meeting Tuesday evening begins at 6 p.m. at Amphibian Stage:
120 S. Main Street
Fort Worth, TX 76104
Brennan hopes to collect ideas for what should be included in public art at the underpasses and present a concept to the TIF board by the end of this year.
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