OK here goes. I think I have completed the not-at-all-exhaustive timeline of relevant events on IH-345 (thread)...

2011 - city of Dallas and Downtown Dallas, Inc. complete original Downtown 360 plan for downtown Dallas that specifically states, "the inner highway loop is a problem, but there is nothing we can do about it." This was a motivating force.

2012 - TxDOT hosts public meeting on future of IH-345 where nine options were shown (these were nine different construction methods and price tags for keeping the highway elevated. not options):

2013 - D Magazine publishes first story (by me) on removing IH-345:

2013 - https://t.co/07TEwhlgdV goes live and gets 22,000+ hits on the first day. Website designed by @justinc