After years of talk, there is plenty of work underway north of downtown Fort Worth on the Trinity River Vision’s Panther Island Project.
And now the federal government, in the form of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, is putting in some cash for the first time in five years. This month, the Corps announced that $17.45 million would go to the Central City project, which the Corps calls the Panther Island Project.
"We’re just honored that we’re able to get that funding, that they feel that this is a project that deserves it, that it keeps moving forward, that it’s construction ready," said Matt Oliver, public information officer for the Trinity River Vision Authority.
The federal money not only shows the stability of the project, but also keeps the project on schedule.
"This gives us the ability to finish bridge construction in a couple of years and move right into construction of the channel," Oliver said.
The channel will go under the bridges which are currently under construction at White Settlement Road, Henderson Street and soon North Main Street. The money specifically will go toward what's called "valley storage."
Valley storage is an area built to hold a lot of water on a short term basis to prevent flooding. Flood protection is part of the reason why the Corps is involved in the Panther Island Project and it's a key part of the redevelopment.
"We need that flood protection, the city is growing so fast it's not just the area north of downtown but other areas that need that protection," Oliver said. "So it's these valley storage projects that allow that to happen."
And with that work, the shovel-ready project will stay on pace.
"You’re looking at a 2023 day for this project, but it's an aggressive construction schedule that we’re on," Oliver said.
Overall the project costs about $909 million. The Army Corps is set to contribute $110 million, per its website.
Central City/Panther Island isn't the only Texas water way set to get money for work this year. According to the Corps' website, a dredging operation in Chocolate Bayou will get $7.07 million this year.
Brays Bayou in Houston will receive $21.04 million, Greens Bayou will get $8 million to complete an excavation project, Onion Creek in the Lower Colorado River Basin will get $21.43 million to buy 400 properties in the flood plain, Buffalo Bayou & its Tributaries will get $23.99 million for various dam projects, the Texas Channel gets $4.83 million to complete construction and El Paso County gets $4 million to construct water distribution infrastructure.
You can see all of the 2015 work plan projects here.
