Design and Construction Report staff writer
The Dallas City Council last week rejected a proposed redesign of the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center Dallas (KBHCCD) and directed staff to continue the advance the project’s current design without further delay, with expected construction completion in 2030.
By sticking with the current design, the city avoids a redesign that staff estimated would add roughly $597 million in unfunded cost and an additional year to the schedule. Since the existing facility closed in July 2025 each additional month of delay carries an estimated $1.4 million in lost local tax revenue.
“This project is about jobs and opportunity for every part of Dallas,” said Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert. “Thousands of hospitality workers are counting on us to finish this building and bring conventions back. The City Council’s direction lets us keep that promise while we continue to work shoulder-to-shoulder with the community on the roadway design and options.”
Traffic control modifications to Jefferson Boulevard and Houston Street will be needed for the KBHCCD expansion project construction to proceed and staff emphasized that engagement with residents will continue throughout the design of the bridge and roadway improvements. The City Council also directed staff to hire an independent transportation consultant to examine options.
Advancing the convention center and developing the roadway improvements in parallel allows the project to keep moving while public input continues to shape the permanent connection into downtown.
“We are committed to getting the connection right, and to doing it with the community, not around it,” Tolbert said. “Moving forward on the convention center does not slow that work. It lets both move at once.”
