Trinity River Vision Authority
Fort Worth’s ambitious, albeit highly scrutinized, Trinity River Vision at last has received some very good news from federal funding authorities, with the long-awaited infusion of money that will allow for the completion of the final design of all project components and construction of the bypass channel.
U.S. Rep. Kay Granger (R-Fort Worth), the Republican leader on the House Appropriations Committee, announced on Wednesday morning that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had released a work plan that includes $403 million for the central city flood control project and development.
“This is a great day for Fort Worth,” Granger said in a statement. “Having experienced unprecedented growth since I was mayor, we are now the 12th largest city in the nation. But with growth comes responsibility. As the leaders in flood control, I thank the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for understanding that responsibility and addressing that need for Fort Worth. Our community will be safer thanks to their hard work and tireless commitment.”
“I also thank U.S. Rep. Marc Veasey for helping this project cross the finish line and Mayor Mattie Parker for her commitments to bring an unwavering community vision to its ultimate reality. Today, Fort Worth will be safer and stronger.”
Though the primary purpose of the project is to enhance an outdated flood protection levee system, dating to the 1960s, it will also double the size of the central business district, providing for more opportunities to live, work, and play — a new slogan for mixed-use developments sprouting across urban settings throughout the country. The project's ancillary benefits, officials said, would be to enable economic development in underutilized industrial areas between downtown and the Stockyards.
Proponents have boasted that the project’s creation of 12 miles of developable waterfront will contribute more than $3.7 billion in annual economic activity and create more than 29,000 new jobs.
However, critics have since the project’s inception been vocal, denouncing the concept as a costly “economic boondoggle” merely disguised as flood control. They grew louder and louder as the costs of the project escalated well beyond the original estimate of $435 million in 2004. In fact, the estimates of final cost are now in the range of $1.2 billion, according to a consulting firm. Critics also alleged nepotism, pointing to the the project’s executive director J.D. Granger, Rep. Granger’s son.
Congress authorized funds for the project, but the money was never appropriated. Granger reportedly had planned to funnel money by deploying congressional earmarks, which, as it turned out, were banned during a policy change in the Trump era. Because of that change, the Trump administration had to vet the project and approve the funding. Disagreements with the administration over the project, however, stalled funding.
Mayor Betsy Price and Rep. Roger Williams also tried to intervene, receiving an audience with the White House to lobby, but to no avail.
Public confidence in the project hit rock bottom when three bridges — officials, citing efficiency in cost and execution, chose the option of building over dry land — required seven years to complete, instead of four, as planned, because of various delays.
The budgetary concerns and scheduling delays only created more questions about the projects scope and leadership. An examination by a third-party consulting firm was critical, recommending a change in the management structure of the project. In the aftermath, J.D. Granger was reassigned.
“This is the go-time moment we have been anxiously awaiting,” Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker said. “We had confidence in the Corps of Engineers and our federal representatives. This funding announcement delivers the certainty that will make our community safer and the green light for further investment in the area. This is an incredible moment in Fort Worth’s history.”
Officials say the 1.5-mile channel will expedite the flow of water where the forks of the Trinity River converge. The channel will protect about 2,400 acres, according to officials, and create an 800-acre urban island north of downtown for development, Panther Island.
“The Trinity River flood control project is a critical piece of infrastructure,” Veasey said. “I am pleased to have been a part of the bipartisan team that got this project over the goal line.”
Said Leah King, president of the Tarrant County Regional Water District: “This funding will update our levee system to reduce the risk of flooding to over 2,400 acres of Fort Worth neighborhoods. Tarrant Regional Water District is proud to be the Corps local sponsor to get the job done.”