Yet another relocation project related to the Central City/Panther Island flood project will begin in August.
Construction will finish by October, project manager Max Aransen said in a public meeting, primarily impacting Calhoun Street and North Commerce Street near 8th Avenue.
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 stay ahead of the Corps of Engineers schedule, the city must complete relocations by the end of 2024.
The project will have a minimal impact on nearby residents and businesses, Aransen said. The project will reroute an outfall storm drain, moving water more quickly to the Trinity River.
The city already completed a storm drain relocation at Grand Avenue, there are seven more relocations remaining.
Relocations at Grand Avenue, Viola Street, Main Street and Greenleaf Street are all expected to begin construction this year, to be completed by late 2024. The Corps of Engineers will complete construction near the Henderson Street Flea Market and Cemetery and Houston streets.
One business, Texas Refinery, will be impacted by the construction by temporarily losing access to one side of the building. The city said its contractor, Circle C Construction, would give the business advance notice of any impacts associated with the construction. Primarily, a small portion of Calhoun Street will be temporarily closed, Aransen said.
The outfall relocation project is expected to cost the city about $9.3 million, money the city expects to be reimbursed for by Tarrant Regional Water District, the local sponsors of the project. The city expects to be reimbursed for the cost of construction annually, Lara Ingram, a spokesperson for the city’s Transportation and Public Works department said.
The Fort Worth City Council approved a construction contract for the project with Circle C Construction June 13. To pay for the project, the city pulled leftover funds from other stormwater projects.
Fort Worth is also working to relocate utility and sewer lines. A water line relocation project is underway near NE 11th Street, North Main Street and North Houston Street in the Northside community.
Fort Worth must fund construction for utility relocations in the short term by seeking long-term financing solutions. Along with pulling funds from other completed stormwater projects, the city is issuing up to $100 million in short-term debt notes known as “commercial paper.”
Funds pulled from other stormwater projects still in progress will not not be delayed as a result of the temporary funding shift, assistant city manager Dana Burghdoff said after the city announced it was pulling $14 million to pay for Central City projects.
All 14 utility relocation projects are expected to cost the city nearly $60 million.
Rachel Behrndt is a government accountability reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at rachel.behrndt@fortworthreport.org or via Twitter. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
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