Busy Deep Ellum Street Shuts Down For A Month
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DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) – One of the busiest entertainment districts in Dallas is losing a road…at least for now.
The project is called "Reimagine Crowdus."
For the entire month of September, Crowdus Street will be shutdown to vehicle traffic.
The road is now covered with benches, chairs and tree planters.
"It's a lot of guts to see what's going to happen especially since all of this was under construction for so long and now that it's open, they're all, we're just going to close it again," said James Dewees, a musician playing in Deep Ellum.
The closure is aiming to boost walking and give the area more of a neighborhood feel.
"I actually don't like it blocking off traffic. So for me getting around, taking up a city street is kind of a bummer," said Chris Erickson, who tattoos at Elm Street Tattoo.
Erickson has his concerns the closure might impact the ongoing struggle to curb panhandling.
"If I was transient, I would definitely find some relaxing time in the shade over there," said Erickson.
The concerns and feedback are welcome and needed according to Jessica Burnham of the Deep Ellum Foundation.
"We don't want to force anything that's not going to work," said Burnham.
The permit from the city only runs through September.
Burnham said there will be extra police watching the area and they have created loading zones for restaurants and venues.
She feels it might help alleviate congestion.
"Deep Ellum is the district of experimentation. So let's just test it out. Bear with us," said Burnham.
Residents like Angela De Nigro welcomes the change.
"Maybe people in the cars aren't liking it too much, but that's why we're here. We want it to be a nice place to sit," said De Nigro.
After September, Crowdus Street will reopen.
There will be a case study and it would take at least a year before any permanent changes take place in the area.
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