USACE Phase Two of Valley Storage in Gateway Park
The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) completed the excavation of the second phase of valley storage work in Gateway Park. The work included the mass excavation of an area in the park for the purposes of developing valley storage for the Central City Flood Control Project. The contractor hauled just over 81,000 cubic yards of soil to meet the Valley Storage requirements out at Gateway Park. The material was hauled to where the old wastewater treatment plant was located. Read more about Phase Two excavation work at: Gateway Phase 2 Update – March 2020
Restored Oxbow at Gateway Park
The valley storage work in Gateway Park, as part of the Central City Flood Project, has restored the natural course of the river and has thereby restored the natural aquatic habitat that once existed in this area. Read more about and see photos of finished and restored oxbow as part of the USACE Phase 1 valley storage work in the park at: Restored Oxbow At Gateway Park
TxDOT Signature V-Pier Bridges on Panther Island
White Settlement Rd Bridge
The White Settlement Bridge just underwent the first two of five road deck pours on December 1 and 3, with the third scheduled for December 11. The deck will provide the final driving surface for the Signature V-Pier Bridge. This concrete deck pour is a major milestone for the Signature V-Pier Bridge project. Once all five pours are completed, the final steps will include installing railing and lighting as well as adding striping to the bridge. The White Settlement Rd Bridge is projected to be open to traffic by February, 2021. Read more and see photos of the deck pour at: White Settlement Bridge Deck Pour
Henderson St Bridge
All eight V-Piers are complete and all eight major Tie Beams have been installed. Permanent Metal Deck steel installation is currently underway on the Henderson St. Bridge. TXDOT’s accepted schedule projects that the bridge will be open to traffic by late summer of 2021. Read more at: TXDOT Signature Bridge Project Progress July 2020
North Main St Bridge
All four V-Piers are complete and all four major Tie Beams have been installed. Major portions of the Panther Island Red brick sidewalk pavers, landscaping, lighting and electrical systems have been installed adjacent to the bridge. Lastly, the Permanent Metal Decking is complete on the North Main St. Bridge. The next step will be to start pouring the road deck on this bridge. TXDOT’s accepted schedule projects that the bridge will be open to traffic by late spring of 2021. Read more at: TXDOT Signature Bridge Project Progress – July 2020
Environmental Remediation
StarRFoam
StarRFoam was one of the most recent cleanup project that took place within the project area. This is a property located in what will be the North section of the Bypass Channel of the Central City Flood Control Project. The work that was done on site included the removal and hauling of contaminated soils on property to meet TCEQ requirements for a Certificate of Completion from VCP. Read more about the cleanup at: Environmental Remediation On Panther Island
Police and Fire
Police & Fire and Rubin Environmental/Demolition work started on November 30th and demolition of the decommissioned Police & Fire gun range started the week of December 7th with dig and haul operations to follow. Just like the property above, this one is also located in within the area that will be the Bypass Channel of the Central City Flood Control Project. It is expected to be completed in March 2021 and TCEQ’s final certificate of completion is expected in spring 2022. Read more at: Police & Fire Environmental Remediation
Encore Panther Island
When driving North on Main Street, you can see the Encore Panther Island multi-family apartment complex going up. The multi-family community will be the first residents on Panther Island and will feature creative solutions to connect the streetscape to the river walk environment planned for the district. Located at the intersection of 4th Street and North Main Street, residents at the 300-unit community will be walking distance to Panther Island Brewing, Coyote Drive-In and Panther Island Pavilion. The apartment complex is projected to open late Summer of 2021.
First Section of Stormwater Canal
The first section of the Panther Island stormwater canal system is being built in conjunction with Encore Panther Island. A fully built out system of stormwater canals will address stormwater needs for Panther Island while also achieving the City of Fort Worth’s density and quality of life goals for the area. The canals will provide safety at roughly half the cost to the city, all while providing a beautiful new backdrop for the area that adds quality of life right along the water’s edge. A large portion of the canal floor has been poured along with the canal walls. The canal is expected to be completed the beginning of 2021.
Oncor Power Line Relocation
Oncor Electric Delivery relocated a larger transmission electric line and power poles into the Panther Island area earlier this year. Oncor and Tarrant Regional Water District worked closely together to masterplan the location of the poles along the current levee system so that in the future, the power poles will be within the median of a major arterial street running along the edge of Panther Island. This will be beneficial to the future development of the area. TRWD coordinated this relocation with the USACE to maintain the current levee system’s integrity.
Fort Worth Bike Sharing
Fort Worth Bike Sharing B-cycle station located at Taylor Circle has made it easier than ever to hop on and off at the venue and enjoy the Trinity Trails. The station is the best overall performing downtown station and 7th best overall performing station. Over 5,069 bikes were checked out at the Taylor Circle to date in 2020 which is a 140% increase from 2019.
Panther Island Pavilion Beach
New this year, people enjoyed the beach concessions at Panther Island Pavilion, which also expanded their hours to 6 days a week. A concession stand served trail users and beach goers with drink and snacks available to purchase. On weekends, they added a food truck for both Saturday and Sunday, waterfront yoga classes and acoustic performers. They also increased their pedal boat rentals to keep up with the demand. The Panther Island Pavilion Beach provided an option for people to bring their families to an urban beach venue that was set up to safely social distance and spread out on the river.
Panther Island Ice
Fort Worth’s outdoor ice skating rink, Panther Island Ice, was able to return this season! They are open seven days a week, including all holidays located at Coyote Drive-In. They are running at a reduced capacity and you must buy your tickets in advance, online at PantherIslandIce.com.
Backwoods Paddlesports
Backwoods Paddlesports opened up for their 8th season! Backwoods offered canoe, kayak and stand-up paddleboard rentals on the Trinity River at Panther Island Pavilion. More than 12,500 individuals paddled with them this season, an 88% increase from 2019. Customers also had the opportunity to help clean the Trinity and collect around 200 bags of trash during their time out on the river. With the growing popularity of the river recreation, Backwoods hosted five on Sunset and Night paddles for a second year in a row, which accommodated 42 people.
Panther Island Brewing
Congratulations to Panther Island Brewing for winning gold in the Herb and Spice category for their Allergeez beer at the Great American Beer Festival this past year! The brewery is open for to-go beers. Place your order for this award winning beer at: PantherIslandBrewing.com
Coyote Drive-In
When things began to change this year, Coyote Drive-In adapted! In addition to their regular drive-in movie options, they offered their space for drive-in graduations, comedy shows, drive-in concerts and more. Coyote Drive-In continues to offer a great outdoor space for event