Trinity River Corridor Project Update Council Trinity River Committee February 20, 2007 Table of Contents
Trinity Parkway/Lakes Design Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge IH-30 Bridge Dallas Floodway Extension Interior Drainage Elm Fork Initiatives Trinity River Audubon Center TXU Transmission Lines In Progress Planning & Economic Development Legislative Update
2 Trinity Parkway/Lakes Design
Meeting held on Jan. 23rd to discuss issues with moving Parkway away from levee Consultants have developed a scenario to accommodate this movement Minimal impact to the lakes surface area Maintains Trinity River alignment under UP Railroad trestle Increases the size of the island feature Includes an extended promenade on the upper end of the lake Options were discussed to allow for the river realignment construction to begin in fall 2008
3 Impact of Parkway Shift Away from the Levee y Original Design – Close to Levee
1800' 1350'
200' 250' 500' MIN. 100' RIVER URBAN LAKE PARKWAY 300' MIN. 210' 200' MIN. 500' 100' GREEN/UTILITY CORRIDOR ISLAND PROMENADE MIN. 120’
4 Impact of Parkway Shift Away from the Levee y New Design
1800' 1280' -110'
130' 250' 500' MIN. 100' RIVER URBAN LAKE PARKWAY 230' MIN. 210' 200' MIN. 500' 100' GREEN/UTILITY CORRIDOR ISLAND PROMENADE -110'
5 Impact of Parkway Shift Away from the Levee
Consultants came up with two scenarios Alternative A – simply slides everything over the required amount, in order to fit the Parkway underneath the bridge bays Alternative A’ – “tweaks” Alternative A slightly Maintains the river alignment under the UP Railroad trestle Extends the promenade around the upper end of the Urban Lake Allows for more meandering opportunity for the river Both alternatives increase the size of the island Consultants recommended Alternative A’ for the river alignment opportunities and promenade extension
6 Alternative A
E AK L L RA TU NA
VIADUCT
AL
T UR BAN LAKE
CONTIE
MARGET HUNILBD
TRINITY RIVER
500 0 500 1000
SCALE OF FEET 7 Alternative A’
I J - E 3 5 F . F . E R I R -3 B . S 5
T O S H
S O N
R
L . U E B
T S A G L S T
T V
O O D N E R N . E C L S
N R I L T E T .
A N M D
O M O
C O O
C
W E AK L L RA TU NA
0
3 - I
VIADUCT
VIADUCT
AL
AL
T
T U RBAN CONTIE CONTIE LA
MARGET HUNILBD K MARGET HUNILBD E
T RIN ITY RI VER
500 0 500 1000
SCALE OF FEET 8 Comparison of Alternatives by Acreage
Urban Lake Natural Lake Parkland Island Feature BVP 83 61 136 56 Alt. A 78 50 96 82 Alt. A’ 79 49 91 81
9 NTTA/Corps Issues
Primacy – Corps contends that primary floodway purpose is for flood conveyance/protection If levee failure occurs (on Parkway side), Corps wants to reserve right to remove Parkway sections in order to repair levees Reconstruction of Parkway would be at the expense of NTTA NTTA concerned with affect of this language in the EIS on bond holders FHWA & Corps are working on language mutually acceptable to both parties NTTA & FHWA heads will meet in Washington, D.C. in February 2007 Head of FHWA was formerly with Corps Uniquely positioned to understand both systems and EIS processes Ramping Corps concerned with ramps to connect the Parkway to bridges for cross streets: Number and location of pier penetrations Impact on top of levees NTTA consultants are reworking the ramping configurations to best locate piers and keep numbers to a minimum, and also avoid linear impacts on levee tops 10 NTTA/Corps Issues
Corps Changing Guidelines Corps has indicated that their guidelines involving construction in and around levees may be changing in the near future NTTA is concerned that their current efforts to use existing guidelines will be negated by the new guidelines. NTTA & FHWA heads (Washington, D.C. meeting in February) to discuss this issue as well NTTA hopes to get a waiver or exception to prevent further modification of their current plans
11 Parkway EIS Schedule
Agency review of Supplemental Draft EIS – April 2007 Public Hearing Process for SDEIS (61 days) 30 day advertisement period – begin in June 2007 1 day public hearing – in July 2007 30 day public comment period – ending in August 2007 City Council/NTTA Board Selection of Locally Preferred Alignment – September 2007 Agency review of final EIS – begins February 2008
12 Parkway EIS Schedule (cont.)
Public Hearing Process for FEIS (61 days) 30 day advertisement period – begin in April 2008 1 day public hearing – in May 2008 30 day public comment period – ending in June 2008 Record of Decision – August 2008 Construction could begin on river relocation, which provides dirt for Parkway bench – September 2008 Detailed design of Parkway can begin – September 2008 Construction start – estimated 2010 Construction completion – estimated 2013
13 Dallas Floodway EIS Schedule
Review Parkway hydraulic model – March 2007 Assess range of project alternatives for potential federal interest (cost-sharing) – April 2007 Feasibility Scoping Meeting (lays out City’s desires for cost-sharing opportunities with the Corps) – July 2007 Draft EIS – May 2008 Public Hearing and end of Public Comment Period – by end of June 2008 Final EIS – August 2008
14 Dallas Floodway EIS Schedule (cont.) Initiate detailed design of lakes/amenities/levee raise – August 2008 River relocation construction – September 2008 Request for General Construction Funding for Corps – October 2008 Agency review of Final EIS – January 2009 Record of Decision – March 2009 Lakes/amenities/levee raise construction – estimated 2010 Completion of lakes construction – estimated 2013
Note: It is estimated that the timely passage of WRDA bill could shorten this schedule by as much as 3 months.
15 Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge
Williams Bros. has signed the contracts with TxDOT Pre-construction meeting to be held in mid-February (TBD); will determine construction sequencing (approaches first vs. steel fabrication) Contractor hopes to begin construction in mid-March
16 IH-30 Bridge
Preliminary cost estimates are being developed by local consultants Consultants continue to work towards 95% construction documents Award date for IH-30 Bridge Widening is set for August 2007 Preliminary construction to add HOV lane Widening will facilitate construction Traffic will be routed to widened section while half of bridge is demolished Half of signature bridge will be constructed; traffic will be routed to that section while other half is demolished, constructed Widening estimated be complete in late 2008/early 2009 Signature Bridge contract can be awarded before bridge widening is complete such that construction is continuous Steel fabrication can begin Construction on signature portion can begin as soon as widening and half-bridge demolition is complete Bridge constructed expected to be complete in 2011
17 Dallas Floodway Extension
Lower chain of wetlands construction is underway and ahead of schedule Cell “D” is complete; Cells “E”, “F” and “G” (at Sleepy Hollow) are expected to be operational (complete with flowing water) by September 2007 River was relocated under the IH-45 bridge in November 2006; backfill of former river channel should be complete by March 2007 (weather permitting) Upper Chain of Wetlands construction could begin in late 2008 Levees could begin construction in 2010
18 Dallas Floodway Extension
Lower Chain of Wetlands
Cell “D” complete; Cells “E”, “F” & “G” under construction
19 Dallas Floodway Extension
River is flowing through a “bridge” made of pipes; allows trucks to cross and backfill the former river channel
20 Dallas Floodway Extension Funding
Total estimated project cost is $154 million Includes $10 million spent on EIS Includes design, construction and right-of-way City bond funds for this project total $24.7 million Federal funding received to date - $66 million Federal funding spent to date - $65 million FY 2007 – estimated $5 – 13 million Proposed ask for FY 2008 - $23 million (Corps’ expressed capability) Proposed ask for FY 2009 – FY 2012 is the estimated remaining $27.3 - 35.3 million Annual asks will be determined by FY 2007 appropriations, Corps’ expressed capability in future years, availability of federal funding and construction costs and schedules
21 Interior Drainage
East Levee Interior Drainage Study is complete West Levee Interior Drainage Study nearing completion Request for Proposals is out now for design of the stormwater outfall extensions (extending the East Levee outfalls further out into the floodway to accommodate the movement of the river); contract expected to be awarded in May/June 2007 Construction could begin in late 2008
22 Stormwater Outfall Extensions
Three interior drainage points would have to be extended and routed under the lakes to the river channel by using buried culverts.
23 Elm Fork Initiatives
Detailed design is underway for a 100-year levee at Manana and Spangler and a chain of wetlands near the Elm Fork & NW Hwy; Design should be completed by the end of 2007 Construction could begin in early 2008 Environmental assessments are underway for the old landfill site where the Soccer complex is to be located
24 Manana/Spangler Levee
25 Trinity River Corridor Project Elm Fork Athletic Complex
Walnut Hill & IH-35 Master planning complete Converts old landfill into useable space Design begins late 2007 Construction start in 2009
26 Trinity River Audubon Center
Facility design by local firm BRW and renowned architect Antoine Predock awarded for construction on February 14th Park Dept. expects construction to begin in March 2007 Ceremonial groundbreaking by National Audubon Society is being planned for May 2007
27 Trinity River Audubon Center
28 TXU Transmission Lines
Mayor Laura Miller and Rebecca Dugger provided testimony in Austin at an Administrative Hearing on November 16, 2006 City and TXU both agree on the alignment going down Irving Blvd. PUC staff provided testimony in favor of the alignment along the East Levee Judges’ ruling on this hearing will only address the final alignment, although the undergrounding and relocation of existing lines (from East Levee to Irving Blvd.) issues were mentioned in the City’s testimonies Decision by the Administrative Judges is expected in March 2007
29 City of Dallas Preferred Route vs. PUC Staff Recommended Route
Norwood Switching Station
A) Irving Boulevard
n
a
e
v
l g
y d
i
S r
) B
B
C ) W Le es West Levee v t ee Switching Station City of Dallas Preferred Route
PUC Staff Recommended Route 30 In Progress
Standing wave (near Moore Park) in design phase; construction award scheduled for late 2007 Forest Management Plan draft RFP being developed; advertised in March 2007 with award in May/June 2007 Moore Gateway Park has 50% construction documents; could start construction in Fall 2007 Santa Fe Trestle Trail in design phase; demolition work could begin (on wooden pilings) in 2008
31 Planning & Economic Development
Form-based zoning study is underway for five areas from the Comprehensive Land Use Plan La Bajada/Los Altos Oak Cliff Gateway Cedars West Mixmaster Riverfront Old Trinity Industrial Stakeholder meeting was held in December 2006 for Cedars West, Mixmaster Riverfront and Old Trinity Industrial Meetings were held on February 6th for La Bajada, and on February 13th for Oak Cliff Gateway
32 Old Trinity Industrial FYFY 20062006--20072007 WorkWork PlanPlan
La Bajada/ Los Altos
Mixmaster Riverfront Complete map of all 23 study areas, and individual maps of these study areas Cedars West are in the appendix Oak Cliff Gateway
33 Timeline
Mixmaster Riverfront and Cedars West: December 2006: Conduct initial community meeting January 2007: Council authorizes hearings March/April 2007: CPC Ad Hoc Committee and UDAC review April 2007: Second community meetings with CPC Ad Hoc Committee May 2007: CPC Ad Hoc Committee and UDAC recommendation May/June 2007: CPC hearing(s) on zoning changes August/September 2007: TRC review September/October 2007: Council hearing(s) on zoning changes 34 Timeline
Oak Cliff Gateway and La Bajada: February 2007: Conduct initial community meetings March/April 2007: Council authorizes hearings April/May 2007: CPC Ad Hoc Committee and UDAC review May/June 2007: Second community meetings with CPC Ad Hoc Committee June/July 2007: CPC Ad Hoc Committee and UDAC recommendation August 2007: CPC hearing(s) on zoning changes September 2007: TRC review October 2007: Council hearing(s) on zoning changes
35 Timeline
Old Trinity Industrial: December 2006: Conduct initial community meeting March/April 2007: Council authorizes hearings April/May 2007: CPC Ad Hoc Committee and UDAC review May 2007: Second community meetings with CPC Ad Hoc Committee May/June 2007: CPC Ad Hoc Committee and UDAC recommendation June/July 2007: CPC hearing(s) on zoning changes August/September 2007: TRC review September/October 2007: Council hearing(s) on zoning changes 36 Legislative Update
Appropriations Congress is expected to pass shortly a continuing resolution to provide funding for most federal departments and agencies through the end of FY 2007, including the US Army Corps of Engineers. The resolution will likely include language specifying that earmarks and project related language from FY 2006 will not carry over into FY 2007. The Corps would have discretion in the allocation of funds among projects.
Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson recently met with Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works) Paul Woodley, and discussed the Trinity Project, including FY 2007 needs. He stated that it was likely that the DFE project would be eligible for continued funding and that a logical amount would be between $5 mil and $13 million, depending on the District's current capability and all funding priorities. We had hoped to secure $10 million for FY 2007, which will allow the project to stay on schedule.
The City is currently working with the Corps to determine their expressed capability for the DFE and Upper Trinity for FY 2008.
37 Legislative Update
Water Resources Development Act (WRDA)
Congress was close to passing a WRDA bill last session, but was unable to resolve several critical issues. Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson was able to secure $194 million for the Dallas Floodway/Trinity Lakes Project in the House version of the bill. Additionally, she was working on securing an additional $265 million for interior drainage in the conference report.
Senator Barbara Boxer, who chairs the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee and Representative James Oberstar, who chairs the House Environment and Public Works Committee have both indicated their desire to pass a WRDA bill quickly – March/April.
Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson now chairs the House Subcommittee on Water Resources and the Environment, which has jurisdiction over WRDA, and has indicated that the Trinity River Project will be her highest priority.
38 Legislative Update
Trinity Day in Washington, DC Thursday, March 29
Corps Meeting with Secretary Woodley Late February/Early March
Pete Visclosky Event Monday, April 9th and Tuesday, April 10th
Texas Water Day in Washington, DC Tuesday, February 6th and Wednesday, February 7th
39 APPENDIX
40 Study Areas
41 La Bajada/Los Altos Land use opportunity plan
42 Oak Cliff Gateway Land Use Opportunity Plan
43 Old Trinity Industrial Land Use Opportunity Plan
44 Mixmaster / Riverfront Land Use Opportunity Plan
45 Cedars West Land Use Opportunity Plan
46