Another $15 million, that will keep the Trinity River Vision afloat, for now. They needed to do something, people are starting to ask questions and put 2 and 2 together. Sometimes that adds up to a billion. But that's ok, it's YOUR money.
Read along with us about the Trinity River Vision bridges and their funding in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
The first of three new bridges connecting downtown Fort Worth to the planned Trinity Uptown project is on course to be under construction by next fall, after officials disclosed Thursday that they had found $15 million more in federal funds to pay for the project.
* They FOUND $15 million? WHO lost it in the first place?
"It allows us to stay on budget. In the next few years, we can build these bridges before we build the lake," said U.S. Rep. Kay Granger, R-Fort Worth.
Granger, Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price and other dignitaries gathered Thursday at the Fort Worth Club to thank regional planners for setting aside $15 million in federal mobility funds for the new Henderson Street and North Main Street bridges. The money, approved last week by the Regional Transportation Council, will be combined with $23 million in federal funds previously arranged by Granger and $24.8 million in local funds, enough to ensure that the bridges can be built, they said.
* WHO are the "other dignitaries"? WHO are the "regional planners"? WHO is on the Regional Transportation Council? If you guessed part of the North Central Texas Council of Governments, you were right on the money.
(Remember WHY TURF was created?) You may notice on their website, the August meeting would not be recorded. WHY?
Transportation construction is part of the initial focus of the Trinity Uptown project, a $909 million effort to convert the near north side of Fort Worth into a walkable neighborhood with dense residential areas, shops, museums and night life.
* Key word, dense.
The project would accomplish many goals that city officials have long touted -- flood control, economic development, ecological restoration, and increased recreation on the river and its banks.
* This has been touted as a lot of things, looks like the list is expanding.
Thursday's funding announcement is the latest example of how aggressively local leaders are working to start construction of the Trinity Uptown bridges.
Those figures, however, don't include land acquisition, relocation, cleanup and other costs that could push the total to $110 million, officials have said.
* This is the part in a commercial when they talk real fast at the end and tell you what all is NOT included.
The original plan was to use some of the state's voter-approved transportation bonds, but the Regional Transportation Council instead found $15 million available in federal surface transportation funds, Fort Worth Councilman Jungus Jordan said.
* When it starts off with "the original plan was...but" YOU know you're in for it. Again, WHERE did they find this money?
The city is responsible for construction of the bridges. Partner agencies include the Tarrant Regional Water District and Tarrant County. Officials with the Texas Department of Transportation and Army Corps of Engineers were also on hand Thursday.
* The partners are WHO YOU thought they were. They always are.
There were some interesting comments on the article, too:
Is this the same Kay Granger that rails against the spending of taxpayer money on pork? The same Kay Granger that voted against the stimulus but gladly takes stimulus dollars for her pet projects and to benefit her special interest donors? The same Kay Granger that spends taxpayer money railing the President faithfully on every GOP talking point, but whose actions don't follow those words? Yeah. Same one. Go figure.
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