Dallas City Council approves lowering new convention center height, hindering Oak Cliff access to downtown

The Dallas City Council-approved height of a new convention center could cause traffic problems for Oak Cliff residents going to Downtown Dallas.Dallas City Council members voted 9-6 to keep the convention center height lower than initially planned for.That means the Houston Street and Jefferson Street viaducts would no longer be able to run through the convention center, interrupting traffic coming in and out of Downtown Dallas from the Oak Cliff area.The Transportation and Infrastructure Committee requested earlier in the week that the design return to the original plans so the Jefferson and Houston viaducts remain connected to downtown Dallas.Under the original plan, the expanded convention center was designed to be tall enough for traffic to flow continuously underneath the building. However, after efforts to cut $500 million in costs, the building's plans were lowered by two stories.In March, city staff proposed a plan to divert traffic from Jefferson Street onto the Houston Stree