Project Announcement: Dallas Zoo Parking Garage

July 13, 2026

HVJ is proud to have been part of the construction of the Dallas Zoo’s newly opened five-story parking garage! HVJ NorthTexas provided construction materials testing and inspection services, including soil testing, concrete sampling, and construction quality verification, for this milestone project. 

The parking garage marks the official launch of a multi-phase transformation strategy for the zoo and its surrounding urban corridor.  By converting an existing overflow surface lot into a modern, five-story precast and cast-in-place concrete structure (alongside a supplementary surface parking area), it directly resolves long-standing parking shortages just in time for peak visitor seasons and increases the zoo's parking capacity by over 50%. Designed for safety, efficient circulation, and access control, it directly connects to the zoo, street, and park via ADA-compliant pathways. 

As explained by Lisa New, CEO of Dallas Zoo,  “The construction of this garage marks a significant milestone for the Dallas Zoo.  Not only will it provide much-needed parking for our guests, but it also represents our commitment to enhancing the overall experience for visitors to the zoo and our soon-to-be neighbors, Southern Gateway Park.” 

HVJ's Scope of Work Included:

  • Soils testing and proof-rolling
  • Concrete strength verification through cylinder sampling and lab curing
  • Reinforcement verification and embed inspection
  • Asphalt and aggregate base compaction testing
  • Compliance reporting per City of Dallas and ASTM standards
  • Field density testing of subgrade and backfill materials using nuclear gauge methods
  • In-place moisture and compaction verification for structural fill zones
  • Slump, air content, temperature, and unit weight testing of fresh concrete during placement
  • Casting, curing, and laboratory compressive strength testing of concrete cylinders
  • Monitoring and documentation of concrete curing conditions and sample identification procedures
  • Laboratory testing of soils for classification and moisture-density relationships

Dallas Zoo Construction

Dallas Zoo Parking GaragePhoto Courtesy of GFF Design

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