Work On Miracle Mile Gets Closer to Reality

Work on Miracle Mile improvements is getting closer to reality after the University Park city council this week approved a proposal from Huitt-Zollars for engineering design services related to roadway reconstruction.

The Miracle Mile is a stretch of Lovers Lane between the Dallas North Tollway and Douglas Avenue. 

The $591,665 proposal approved this week provides for engineering design services for roadway, drainage, water and wastewater utilities, illumination, and traffic signal construction documents, as well as landscape and irrigation design and construction documents, and additional survey services for the Miracle Mile shopping area. The funding for the proposal is included in the city’s capital improvements plan.

“I’m looking forward to this. The pedestrian access is going to be so much better, the walkability, the safety, and the aesthetic,” council member Liz Farley said of future work on the Miracle Mile. “I look forward to this getting started.

The city council approved a design concept plan for the area in August of 2019. The plan was used to apply for capital funding from Dallas County, which was approved in December of 2020. The city approved a master agreement with the county that lays the groundwork for the future work on the Miracle Mile and some Preston Road reconstruction projects in February. As part of the partnership, the county provides up to half the total project cost.

“We now have a master agreement with Dallas County in place, so we’re ready to move forward with this contract for final design,” said city engineer Katie Barron. “

In other news:

• The city council approved an ordinance returning the eligibility requirements for the Holmes Aquatic Center back to that of the 2019 pool season, as well as a resolution reverting the fees for pool passes back to what was imposed in the 2019 pool season.
• The city council approved an amendment to the license agreement with Park Plaza Partners to allow Snider Plaza tenants to use an additional 50 spaces, for a total of 100 spaces, in the parking garage at Hilltop Plaza at a discounted rate.
• The city council approved a proposal from Trane in the amount of $54,131 for labor and materials to rebuild chiller 2 at city hall. The HVAC system at city hall is a chilled water system that uses two chillers installed when city hall was renovated in 2007.