Bids for Dallas skyline project too high

DALLAS, July 30 (UPI) -- Plans for a series of suspension bridges to liven up the Dallas skyline are on hold after construction bids came in at nearly double the project's budget.

The $54 million the city has allotted for construction of the first bridge is not nearly enough to meet the minimum bid of $113 million, the Houston Chronicle reported.

Plans call for three bridges as part of a grand design from architect Santiago Calatrava, who designed the bridges to span the city's Trinity River.

City officials have asked Calatrava to alter the plans for the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge in such a way that the initial bridge would fall in the range of the limited budget.

"If the people of Dallas will grant us just a little more patience, I believe we can give back to them an extraordinary bridge, at a cost the city can afford," a statement from the architect said in response.

Since Dallas voters approved the projects in 1998 at a budget of $246 million, the debate has raged over whether the project would revitalize the city's image, or just amount to self-promotion by the city, the newspaper said.