Fort Worth Report Article, August 22, 2023 - Fort Worth is putting $7.2 million more toward the Central City/Panther Island flood control project — though the city won’t ultimately pay most of the bill.
City Council members approved a $6 million construction contract to move a storm drain line near the intersection of Greenleaf and Kansas streets, just south of the White Settlement bridge. S.J. Louis Construction of Texas LTD presented the lowest bid, with construction expected to begin this month and be completed by August 2024.
The city must relocate utilities and stormwater lines to make way for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to dig a 1.5-mile-long bypass channel that will reroute a part of the Trinity River near downtown Fort Worth. To meet the Army Corps’ timeline, the city must complete relocations by the end of 2024.
To pay for the Greenleaf project, the city will issue short-term debt notes known as commercial paper. As the local sponsor of the federal project, Tarrant Regional Water District is expected to reimburse the city for utility relocation projects on an annual basis. After the reimbursement, the city expects to pay about $100,000 for staff time spent on the Greenleaf relocation.
The project will relocate the storm drain system and replace eight inlets draining into the future south bypass channel. Construction crews are also expected to install specialized water quality treatment inlet devices, requiring a higher level of maintenance than the existing system’s inlets and increasing costs by $2,400 per year.
The project is one of eight stormwater relocation and 14 utility relocation projects related to the Central City flood control project.
Relocations at Grand Avenue, Viola Street, Main Street and Greenleaf Street — most located near Fort Worth’s Northside community — are expected to begin construction this year. Construction began on Calhoun Street and North Commerce Street near 8th Avenue in July, with the project expected to wrap by October.
Next week, the city of Fort Worth will hold a public meeting discussing sewer main relocations near North Henderson and Calvert Street. The meeting will be at 6 p.m. Aug. 31 at the Tarrant Regional Water District boardroom, 800 E Northside Drive.
Haley Samsel is the environmental reporter for the Fort Worth Report. You can reach them at haley.samsel@fortworthreport.org.
Rachel Behrndt is a government accountability reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at rachel.behrndt@fortworthreport.org or via Twitter.
