Wycliffe Ave in Highland Park shut for two years to fix deadly flood zones
Roads closed at three intersections as crews begin major drainage work where two people have died.
By Jack Weber ·
Highland Park closed Wycliffe Avenue to traffic Tuesday morning to start a two-year infrastructure project. The work targets a drainage system that failed in past storms.
Crews placed heavy equipment and detour signs at the intersections of Lakeside Drive, St. John's Drive, and Turtle Creek Boulevard. The site is located less than a mile from the Fitzhugh Avenue exit of U.S. Highway 75.
The city will periodically close surrounding streets as the project moves forward. Officials have not announced the exact dates or times for these rolling closures. Local residents will keep access to their specific neighborhoods during those closures.
The construction addresses a history of fatal flooding in this exact area. A Southern Methodist University student died in a flash flood at the site in 2006. An SMU police officer was killed in the same location during a 2016 flood.
The widow of the officer filed a wrongful death lawsuit after the 2016 incident. Drivers must now use alternate routes and allow extra travel time. The project is scheduled to finish in approximately two years.
