The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ bypass channel will cut through that area near downtown Fort Worth as seen on Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2026.
Amanda McCoy
FORT WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM
A portion of Fort Worth’s long-awaited Panther Island project is taking a major step forward this week.
The Fort Worth district of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced Thursday, Sept. 24, that a $169 million contract has been awarded for the construction of the northern portion of a bypass channel that is the flood control element of Panther Island.
Construction is expected to begin on the north bypass channel this winter or in early 2027, and wrap up in 2029. The southern portion of the bypass channel is still in the design phase.
The entire 1.5 mile bypass channel will connect sections of the Clear and West forks of the Trinity River north of downtown. The channel is meant to help move water more efficiently through that area during large flood events.
To get to this point, the Tarrant Regional Water District and the city of Fort Worth had to acquire property, conduct environmental remediations and relocate utility lines. The Texas Department of Transportation has completed three bridges over the future location of the bypass channel.
The fixed-price contract was awarded to Illinois-based Walsh Construction Company II LLC.
The northern bypass channel will be 3,900 linear feet long and 300 feet wide at the bottom, according to the Army Corps. It will include an earthen levee, concrete floodwalls, pedestrian promenades, trail connections, a pedestrian bridge and accessible ramps and stair landings.
That bridge will connect the north levee infrastructure to the promenade and the Trinity Trails system.
The Army Corps will be holding an open house on the project at 6 p.m. Oct. 22 at the Northside Community Center, 1100 NW 18th St.
This story was originally published September 24, 2026 at 1:20 PM.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Emily Holshouser is a local news reporter at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.