Looking At Fort Worth's Imaginarily Funded Panther Island Riverwalk

A couple days ago Elsie Hotpepper pointed me to seeing that which you see above, on Facebook. I assume this is a screen cap from one of the Trinity River Central City Uptown Panther Island District Vision's many propaganda websites, touting the imaginary wonders of a vitally needed flood control and economic development scheme, which is so vitally needed it has been limping along for most of this century.

The comments following this Facebook post covered most anything I might have to say about it, but, I shall toss in my two cents worth anyway.

First off. Privately funded? Really? When did that happen? If the funds were acquired privately, why was Congresswoman Kay Granger's son, J.D., hired as the Executive Director of this project, hoping to motivate his mother to secure federal funding? Which she failed to do, with federal funding not provided til the Biden Administration's infrastructure bill passed. 

A bill on which Kay Granger voted NO.

I do not know why J.D. Grange has not been fired, now that his use has been rendered obviously useless.

Panther Island Riverwalk?

So, we have now added a new qualifier to the ever growing name of this inept pseudo public works project.

The Trinity River Central City Uptown Panther Island District Riverwalk Vision. 

Isn't it just a tad embarrassing that Fort Worth does not come up with something original, instead of copying that world famous Riverwalk in San Antonio, a couple hundred miles south of Fort Worth?

Fort Worth has a bad habit of badly trying to copy things other towns are doing, or have done.

Before Fort Worth had its Trinity River Vision, Dallas, late in the previous century, initiated its Trinity River Project.

Here is a blurb from the Wikipedia article about the Dallas river project. See if you can spot the difference in the Dallas river project and the Fort Worth river project.

Voters approved a bond proposal to fund a major cleanup of the river, construction of park facilities, wildlife habitats, flood-protection devices such as levees, and related road construction. Once passed, a planning process began with construction on the project starting in 2005. Proponents believe this development will bring more life, commerce, revenue to the downtown Dallas region.

I'm sure you spotted the difference. Dallas voters approved a bond proposal, in the way towns wearing their Big City Pants get things done. Fort Worth voters have never been asked to vote on a bond proposal to fund that which has become America's Biggest Boondoggle.

Another blurb from Wikipedia about the Dallas River Project...

The Trinity River Corridor Project is intended to transform the Trinity River flood zone in downtown Dallas into the nation's largest urban park, featuring three signature bridges designed by acclaimed architect Santiago Calatrava.

When Fort Worth foisted its Trinity River Vision on the unsuspecting public, the Vision copied the Dallas Vision in multiple ways. Including touting three signature bridges.

The Trinity River Vision continued touting those imaginary three iconic signature bridges for years. Until they began to be built in slow motion over dry land, with it apparent the three iconic signature bridges look like freeway overpasses, as you can see via the photo at the top of one of the Fort Worth imaginary signature bridges.

Meanwhile the Dallas Trinity River Project has managed to build two of their three actual iconic signature bridges, designed as originally touted, by acclaimed bridge architect Santiago Calatrava. Those two completed bridges have altered the Dallas skyline in an iconic way. And these bridges were built over actual water, not dry land.

Wikipedia used to have an article devoted to Fort Worth's Trinity River Vision. But, that article no longer exists. I suspect it was removed due to so many inaccuracies, and its blatant propaganda. That and a reference to herds of feral cats occupying the imaginary island.

Now, if you search on Wikipedia for that article about the Trinity River Vison you are brought to a blurb in the Wikipedia Trinity River article in which mention is made of the two town's Trinity River projects...

The Trinity River Corridor Project is intended to transform the Trinity River flood zone in downtown Dallas into the nation's largest urban park, featuring three signature bridges designed by acclaimed architect Santiago Calatrava.

A similar project is planned by the Tarrant Regional Water District, City of Fort Worth, Tarrant County, Streams & Valleys Inc., and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to develop an area north of "downtown" as "uptown" along the Trinity River. This plan promotes a large mixed-use development adjacent to the central city area of Fort Worth, with a goal to prevent urban sprawl by promoting the growth of a healthy, vibrant urban core. The Trinity River Vision lays the groundwork to enable Fort Worth's central business district to double in size over the next forty years.

I forgot to mention another thing that seems absurdly ridiculous in the propaganda verbiage from the Panther Island - Central City Flood Project website. That being that the "privately funded" project will also provide flood protection and save Fort Worth over $14 million in stormwater infrastructure needs.

Didn't Fort Worth voters vote to approve a proposal to pay for stormwater infrastructure needs? And didn't the Boondogglers try and claim that this approval was somehow a voter approval of the entire Trinity River Central City Uptown Panther Island Riverwalk District Vision?

If the imaginary island ii privately funded why was federal funding needed to build the cement lined ditch under the three bridges currently stranded over dry land. If I remember right the amount Fort Worth is getting for its Boondoggle, from the Infrastructure bill, is something like $403 million. The total cost estimate of the entire Boondoggle is over $1 billion.

Is $403 million sufficient funding to build a river diversion channel? Which has not yet even been designed. This funding was approved without the usual requirement of a feasibility study being required. 

I suspect we will soon learn that it is not feasible to build that diversion channel for a relatively measly $403 million. Or the Army Corps of Engineers design team will determine it not possible to dig a channel under the completed bridges without compromising the structural integrity of the bridges.

And then there is the environmental cleanup aspect. How much of the imaginary island's industrial wasteland property has been properly analyzed for hazardous polluting contamination? EPA Superfund cleanups can get quite costly. Has that been factored into the actual final cost of this multi-decade Boondoggle?

Fort Worth really needs to see an optometrist about its Vision. I suspect the town may have cataracts...