Fair Park
Dallas, Texas

DeShazo, Tang & Associates has frequently provided traffic and transportation engineering services for Fair Park. Fair Park, a 280-acre art deco entertainment center on the National Historic Register hosts the annual Texas State Fair and many other major events, and is home to numerous museums and facilities. Millions visit Fair Park, which is located east of Downtown Dallas, annually and it is critical that they enjoy easy, efficient access to the park.

DT&A has developed innovative highway and arterial improvement schemes to increase accessibility and reduce congestion. The firm used research to develop auto occupancies, modes splits, and parking accumulations for the various other events to assess parking needs for the facility. In addition, field studies for driveway capacity and peak arrival rates were performed to help determine the accessibility needs of the museums and other year-round events.

Fair Park has also examined transportation options to capitalize on the success of DART light rail. DT&A conducted a study that recommended a multi-level on- and off-site public transportation strategy that could be catered to the magnitude of projected daily attendance. Concepts included a transportation service with the ability to circulate visitors among the parking facilities and destinations at Fair Park and to provide alternative modes of transportation to visitors other than driving their private automobiles. Off-site concepts included the provision of a Light Rail "spur" directly into Fair Park from the DART North Central, Oak Cliff, or Trinity Express lines to accommodate peak special event demands, which attracted from 10,000 to over 100,000 people daily.

DART has identified potential locations for the future South Dallas/Fair Park Transit Center. The facility will serve the local community residents and businesses as well as Fair Park visitors and employees. Proximity and visibility of the future Light Rail Station to Fair Park are important criteria in the Transit Center site selection process. Utilization (i.e., ridership) of public transportation (especially LRT) is directly proportional to the service's convenience, function, and safety -- these should, therefore, be maximized.

Mr. DeShazo recommended that consideration be given to the merits of providing grade-separated (i.e., elevated or sub-surface) rail and passenger platform facilities along Robert B. Cullum Boulevard. (At-grade facilities in this corridor would compromise safety and efficiency.) Such a configuration could be designed to serve both Fair Park and the adjacent community.