By Rob Robertson

Construction for a pair of uptown bridges central to the development of the $910 million Trinity River Vision project in Fort Worth are now fully funded, thanks to a $15 million commitment from the federal government.

The money was secured from the Regional Transportation Council of the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) for the Henderson and Main Street bridges in Trinity Uptown. The new funding will enable both bridges to be constructed on schedule.

U.S. Congresswoman Kay Granger (R-Fort Worth) was in town at the Fort Worth Club on Oct. 20 to make the announcement, along with Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price and City Councilman Jungus Jordan, who also chairs the RTC.

“The bridges are just one step in the plan,” Granger said. “You want to build bridges in a timely manner and you want to build them before you fill the lake that they are going to go over. Bridges built on dry land cost considerably less, and of course you know we have dry land here, so this is the time to do it.”

The Trinity River Vision project is a controversial plan to re-route and change how the Trinity River flows through downtown Fort Worth. Rechanneling the Trinity will create two islands and a 33-acre lake north of downtown Fort Worth.

Granger, whose son, J.D., is executive director of the TRV project, has helped deliver $23 million in federal funding for the bridges and coordinated with the NCTCOG, which secured $15 million in Surface Transportation Program Metropolitan Mobility funds for the effort. A local match of $24.8 million was already in place.

With the combined federal and local funding, the bridges are now fully funded.