Dallas Opens 5-Acre Halperin Park Above I-35E to Reconnect Oak Cliff
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jun 6
Dallas Opens 5-Acre Halperin Park Above I-35E to Reconnect Oak Cliff
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jun 6
Summary
Halperin Park opened in May as a roughly five-acre deck park built directly above Interstate 35E, aiming to reconnect Dallas's Oak Cliff neighborhood after decades of separation.
I-35E cut through Oak Cliff in the 1950s and 1960s, demolishing part of the Tenth Street Historic District—one of Dallas's oldest Black neighborhoods—and displacing dozens of families through eminent domain.
Residents say the highway severed ties within the community, stalled commercial investment and pushed down property values in parts of the area.
Southern Gateway Public Green Foundation CEO April Allen said the park is meant to help heal wounds left by freeway projects that often followed redlining patterns and divided neighborhoods nationwide.