Some South Dallas residents were unhappy at a Dallas City Council meeting on Wednesday because signs with the name of the late civic leader Dr. S.M. Wright were taken down from State Highway 310.
Gwendolyn Snead, speaking on behalf of the People’s Missionary Baptist Church, expressed disappointment and confusion about the removal of S.M. Wright street signs from a section of Highway 310. She emphasized Dr. S.M. Wright's contributions to the community and urged the council to swiftly address this issue.
Snead referred to the removal of the signs as a disrespectful action.
Snead raised concerns about the signs being removed without notice this year, and urged the council to promptly rectify the situation by restoring the removed S.M. Wright street signs.
People’s Missionary Baptist Church is located on Pine Street, which intersects with the part of State Highway 310 known as S.M. Wright Freeway. The area is undergoing reconstruction as part of a project by the Texas Department of Transportation to upgrade the S.M. Wright Freeway to a six-lane boulevard with traffic signals. project The S.M. Wright Freeway is set to be transformed into a six-lane boulevard with traffic signals as part of a project by the Texas Department of Transportation.
David Wilson, pastor of Cornerstone Baptist Church, emphasized the importance of respecting the black community's concerns related to the S.M. Wright Freeway.
Cornerstone Baptist Church is situated on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, which intersects with State Highway 310.
Danny Davis expressed disappointment over the events related to the S.M. Wright Freeway and questioned how the street name could be changed or forgotten, calling it a failure of duty.
A TxDOT spokesman provided an explanation in an email to The Dallas Express for why the signs were removed.
According to the TxDOT spokesman, the signs indicating the new boulevard of S.M. Wright being called ‘Central Expressway’ were mistakenly placed. This error occurred because the city used incorrect information from their Geospatial Information System (GIS) for the naming of the signs.GISsic
The highway was originally named Central Expressway until 1995, when the name was changed to S.M. Wright Freeway by then-Texas Gov. George W. Bush, as reported by the S.M. Wright Foundation. Wright, the pastor of People’s Missionary Baptist Church starting in 1957, was known for his peaceful unification of diverse ethnic groups, and for promoting integration across various aspects of society in the 1960s.
He passed away on November 3, 1994. His son, S.M. Wright II, became the church pastor in 1993.
“S.M. Wright Freeway 310 is the entryway into the Joppa community,” Claudia Fowler said. “S.M. Wright Freeway has been established … since 1994, 1995. We are eagerly anticipating another significant sign unveiling. Once again, history is very important to this city. … The signs were unexpectedly taken down overnight.”
Dr. Tommy Brown, who leads New Mount Zion Baptist Church, also spoke during the open mic session at Wednesday’s council meeting.
“I was there on June 13 of 1995 as a young pastor in that crowd,” he said. “I had the honor of sitting there with then-Gov. Bush to watch the signage go up. We don’t want to see this history repeat itself. We come today, first of all, to express gratitude to Adam Bazaldua [and] certainly to (interim City Manager) Kim Tolbert for meeting with us this morning. … We trust that you will continue to do what you said you would do to right this wrong.”
The TxDOT project is in Adam Bazaldua’s District 7.
“I just want to say, ‘Thank you’ to the speakers who have come out for Rev. Wright’s street name and legacy,” Bazaldua said. I’ve had conversations and meetings to this point, but I want you to know your concerns have not fallen on deaf ears. Actions are already in motion, and this council will be committed to taking the necessary steps to essentially check some boxes.”
Bazaldua attributed the sign removals to “a clear disconnect” between the City of Dallas and TxDOT that was “daylighted because of the reconstruction, and it couldn’t have come at a better time.”
Meanwhile, TxDOT has already removed “Central Expressway” signs where others should have been mounted.
“[We] will replace them with ‘S.M. Wright,'” the TxDOT spokesperson said. “We have to put in an order for the new signing, so it will take a few weeks before you see the replacement signs go up. In addition, the city will take the naming to city council to correct their GIS system.”
The S.M. Wright project includes:
- Eliminating freeway overpasses and setting up landscaping on the street-level boulevard with sidewalks.
- Improvements for cyclists and pedestrians, including sidewalks and shared-use bike lanes between State Highway 310, MLK, AI Lipscomb Way, and Good Latimer Expressway.
- Changing freeway-to-freeway connections between Interstate 45 and State Highway 310 to a diamond interchange that provides access to MLK and Al Lipscomb Way.
- Prolonging State Highway 310 to exclusively connect to Cesar Chavez Boulevard.
- Changing the State Highway 310 underpass at MLK to an at-grade, signalized intersection.
- Prolonging Interstate 45 frontage roads to MLK.
- Relocating ramps that connect MLK and Interstate 45 to the proposed signalized intersections of the proposed frontage roads and MLK.
- Constructing a northbound exit ramp to Al Lipscomb Way from Interstate 45 and a southbound entrance ramp from Al Lipscomb Way to Interstate 45.
