As Panther Island Project Ramps Up, Close Relationship Between Water District And Engineering Firm Draws Scrutiny

Arlington TX

24 April, 2022

4:57 PM

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By Rachel Behrndt | Emily Wolf, Fort Worth Report April 24, 2022 The engineering firm Freese and Nichols recently paid the city of Fort Worth $1.5 million for claims related to three Panther Island bridges that are no stranger to news coverage. The payout is related to multiple amendments the firm made during the bridges' design process, raising the total cost of the project. The project has been criticized for mismanagement and cost overruns that have plagued the bridges since design began. The money won by Fort Worth didn't stay in the city's coffers for long. In the same council session, council members immediately agreed to pour that money back into the bridges' construction budgets. Tarrant Regional Water District will contribute an additional $3.5 million to the North Central Texas Council of Governments over 10 years to pay Freese and Nichols for cost overruns related to the project. While the city doesn't plan to exclude Freese and Nichols from future contracts, the bridge saga has muddied the waters on the benefits of the relationship, according to District 9 council member Elizabeth Beck. To read the full article, click here. Fort Worth Report is a nonpartisan, nonprofit news organization that produces factual, in-depth journalism about city and county government, schools, healthcare, business, and arts and culture in Tarrant County. Always free to read; subscribe to newsletters, read coverage or support our newsroom at fortworthreport.org.