The city of Fort Worth announced that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ 2023 work plan includes $20 million for the Modified Central City project in Fort Worth, also known as the Panther Island project.
The additional $20 Million investment for the Trinity River project from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law of 2022 will continue the design of the flood control project to increase climate resilience and improve waterway design. That will include completing the Clear Fork, Trinity Point, and Tarrant Regional Water District isolation gates and TRWD pump station beyond the initial design, the city said in a news release.
Aiming to create a new island—and a massive housing and mixed-use district
The Panther Island District, just north of downtown Fort Worth, could eventually double the size of the central part of the city. [Rendering: Trinity River Vision.org]
The project aims to reroute part of the Trinity River near downtown Fort Worth and create Panther Island. The city hopes the island will become a massive housing and mixed-use entertainment and recreational district, connecting downtown Fort Worth to the city’s cultural district and the Stockyards.
Added to $403M already allocated for the project
Previously, the Corps received $403 million as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law of 2022, funds that will be used to develop the initial design of the gates and pump station, complete the designs of the bypass channel and three valley storage sites, and construct the interior portions of the bypass channel, three valley storage sites, and all required aquatic mitigation.
The city said that additional funds allow design work to continue on remaining features of the project.
The Panther Island project has several components:
- An approximate 8,400-foot bypass channel
- Three isolation gates
- Low-water dam
- Valley storage mitigation sites (Gateway Park, Ham Branch, Riverside Park, Rockwood Park West, Samuels Avenue and University Drive) to provide flood risk management along the Clear Fork and West Fork of the Trinity River.
The Fort Worth floodway levees were originally constructed in response to flooding events in the early 1900s, the city said. The system was modified in the 1950s, and the current system was constructed in the 1960s, according to the city.
Subsequent congressionally authorized floodway studies helped determine that modifications are required to reduce flood risk.
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