Thursday, June 28, 2018

Fort Worth Drive By America's Biggest Boondoggle Embarrassment

Til yesterday it had been several years since I have been at the heart of America's Biggest Boondoggle, also known as the Trinity River Central City Uptown Panther Island District Vision.

I think it was February of 2015 I first saw ridiculous signage touting "Panther Island Bridge Construction Underway".

And now, years later, the imaginary "construction" zone is a HUGE mess of uncompleted construction.

Except for this million dollar absurdity you see here, an aluminum homage to a trash can at the center of an un-landscaped, un-completed roundabout.

Why would anyone with any common sense think it a good idea to install this "work of art" early on in a construction project, which now, years later, appears to be stalled in dawdle mode? If I remember right a celebration ceremony was held for the unveiling of this aluminum embarrassment.

Driving through the heart of America's Biggest Boondoggle is a baffling experience, when one realizes how many years this mess has been an ongoing eyesore and traffic nightmare.

And seeing those infamous bridge V-piers in various stages of "construction", rising helter skelter across the landscape I could not imagine where the flood diversion ditch will be dug in this mess.

A few illustrative photos documenting the current state of those bridges which began being built almost four years ago, with what at the time seemed a ridiculously long four year project timeline.

And now, almost four years later, below is what you see of America's Biggest Boondoggle's bridges.


Above we are looking at a couple V-piers awaiting concrete, while in the background we see some V-piers which have had some concrete added, yet remaining held up by supports, I assume the supports are to keep the Yeehaw Seesaws from teeter tottering.


I was unable to get a good photo of the roadwork which has been built in the area of the V-piers. I could not tell if this road work is the approaches to the bridges, or what. With a quick drive by I was not able to make any sense of the various construction elements. It just looked like a big mess.


I did see what I assume to be bridge workers working on one of the V-piers. No clue what they were doing. Possibly spraying rust inhibitor on the rusting re-bar or wood preservative on the wood elements which have been exposed to the elements way longer than any legit building engineer would have deemed appropriate.

How many more decades are the Fort Worth locals going to tolerate hosting America's Biggest Boondoggle?

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