From Fort Worth Star Telegram by Caty Hirst
FORT WORTH — The Fort Worth City Council approved Tuesday spending $6.63 million on the new bridges for the Trinity Uptown project.
The money will come from the 2008 Capital Improvement Bond Program and go toward a total of $73.7 million from federal, state, regional toll revenue and local funds to build the three bridges on Henderson Street, North Main Street and White Settlement Road, according to city documents.
All of the council members and mayor voted for the funding, except Councilman W.B. “Zim” Zimmerman, who was absent.
The Texas Department of Transportation is expected to bid the projects in May and start construction in late July, said Mark Rauscher, senior capital programs manager for the city. To finish all three bridges should take about three years, he said.
Building the bridges is a beginning phase of the Trinity Uptown project, which includes creating a new 1.5 mile-long channel of the Trinity River to form a 33-acre lake, an 800-acre island and waterfront development on the city’s north side.
The vision depends on Congress to provide about half the $910 million needed to complete the project.
Bill Begley, city spokesman, said prominent detour signs will go up in the area before construction, but are not expected to seriously affect traffic flow.