Central City – Bypass Channel
The primary purpose of the Central City project is to provide Fort Worth with needed flood protection. The Central City Flood Project is limited to infrastructure needed for flood protection. By rerouting a section of the Trinity River, the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) will return flood protection to over 2,400 acres of established Fort Worth neighborhoods. The flood protection project is being constructed by USACE along with the Tarrant Regional Water District (TRWD) as the local sponsor.
Click for a general overview of project components. Learn More
TXDOT V-PIER BRIDGES
TxDOT’s current accepted completion schedule:
Engineering Studies showed that building the bridges first, in a dry condition, minimized traffic impacts and was the most cost effective option. Therefore, USACE required in the Final Environmental Impact Statement that the bridges be built prior to the bypass channel in a baseline condition.
The signature V-Pier bridges that will span over the future bypass channel were designed by the City of Fort Worth and are being built and managed by TxDOT. The bridges will allow traffic to enter Panther Island from the north and west. They are located at White Settlement Rd., Henderson St. and N. Main St. These bridges have been artfully designed with the pedestrian experience and mass transportation in mind. For information on the signature V-Pier bridges contact Doug Rademaker, Sr. Capital Projects Officer, City of Fort Worth at doug.rademaker@fortworthtexas.gov or Scott Cooner, Mobility Coordinator, TxDOT at trvmobility@gmail.com. Click below for more information:
AT-RISK NEIGHBORHOODS
Fort Worth has nearly tripled in population since USACE built the current levee system in the early 1960s, having grown from 350,000 to over 900,000 in 2020. Because of the booming population growth, even as far back as the early 2000s, the USACE had already determined that 86% of Fort Worth’s current levee system is no longer tall enough to protect us from the events expected to hit this area. Over 2,400 acres of established neighborhoods in our city are in jeopardy of flooding. This map shows the “at-risk” neighborhoods in our city. Click below for more information:
USACE BYPASS CHANNEL
A 1.5 mile bypass channel will be constructed to reroute flood waters near the downtown area. Rerouting the existing Clear Fork and West Fork through the bypass channel will create a drawdown effect on the water elevations in the Clear Fork and West Fork. This will enable water to pass through the current levee system at a quicker pace and lower elevation, which will return flood protection to the community and maintain the effectiveness of the remaining levee system. Click below for more information:
USACE ISOLATION GATES
Three isolation gates, that will be designed and built by USACE and maintained and operated by TRWD, will be installed at the portions of the river where the bypass channel and the original river intersect. The gates protect the interior area from flood flows. These gates will remain open at most times, but can be shut during high water events – which would redirect the water through the bypass channel, bypassing that area completely. Click below for more information:
USACE DAM
The Samuels Avenue Dam, that will be designed and built by USACE and maintained and operated by TRWD, will be located near the confluence of Marine Creek and the West Fork of the Trinity River near Samuels Avenue. This will include an in-channel dam to achieve the objective of maintaining water levels in the project interior at a relatively normal water surface elevation. The dam will have mechanical and hydraulic flood capabilities to lower the crest elevation to allow passage of flood flows. Click below for more information:
USACE VALLEY STORAGE
Valley storage is a critical need for our community right now providing immediate flood relief. With that in mind, USACE has completed four valley storage construction sites, to date, totaling more than $32 million in USACE contracts and over 2 million CY of dirt has been removed.
The future bypass channel will protect more than 2,400 acres of neighborhoods in Fort Worth from the highest level of flooding. However, the bypass channel cannot accomplish this alone. In times of flooding, water will be moving through the bypass channel, but there is a need to slow that water down so we are not flooding our neighbors to the east. A series of valley storage sites (think creating water storage areas downstream to slow water down) are crucial to the Central City Project.
The amount of material moved as well as the locations themselves were carefully chosen. These valley storage sites provide the needed flood protection along with providing multiple use opportunities. In many cases USACE will excavate the valley storage site (Gateway Park for example) and then that area can be turned over to the City of Fort Worth to provide wonderful park amenities for our city. Click below for more information:
USACE PUMP STATION
A stormwater pump station, that will be designed and built by USACE and maintained and operated by TRWD, will be constructed on the North East side of the interior area near the TRWD gate. During major flood events, the isolation gates will be closed and excess water will be moved through the pump station. The pump station will house four pumps, with one spare pump.
Water pumping stations are machines that can be used to transport water from the interior out to the bypass channel. These devices can drain the interior in situations where large rainfall events happen immediately overhead, circulate water in treatment systems, drain water from low lying land and circulate water during low flow times to maintain higher water quality during low rainfall times of the year. Click below for more information:
