Army Corps Of Engineers Committed To Trinity River Waterfront Redevelopment
FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) - The Army Corps of Engineers stated Wednesday it was committed to a major waterfront redevelopment project along the Trinity River in Fort Worth.
The statement came after Trinity River Vision did not receive civil works funding from the USACE in 2018.
The statements from the Corp's Fort Worth district touted the benefits of a reduced flooding risk from the project.
"Our various partnerships within the Trinity River Vision Central City Project are an extension of the Corps' continued commitment to providing flood risk management solutions for the City of Fort Worth and the surrounding communities," Brig. Gen. Paul E. Owen, is quoted as saying in a release from the Corp's Fort Worth district.
Congresswoman Kay Granger followed with a statement of her own, saying it was no secret the funding would be spread over several years.
"Nor is it a secret that as a result of recent Hurricane recovery relief efforts being stretched thin over the past two years, the current federal budget is step-funding (using incremental appropriation) for its flood-control and water infrastructure projects," she said.
Flood control is the portion of the project dependent on federal funding, in part to pay for a new channel for the Trinity River.
The redirection of the water would create an island north of downtown, where planners envision riverfront living. The first residential development along North Main Street broke ground earlier this year, promising a canal through the middle of the development.
Costs for the project, still a decade away from being completed, have swelled over $1.1 billion. Voters approved a bond referendum in the spring to add an additional $248 million in funding.
The Corps said about $62 million had been made available so far for their portions of the project.
The project received congressional approval in 2016 for matching federal funding of $526 million