Engineering a multi‑purpose bypass channel
CDM Smith designed a flood bypass channel with both hard and soft edges, integrating retaining walls, levees, terraces and recreation areas while minimizing footprint, excavation and land acquisition.
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Reshaping the Trinity River to protect the city’s core
To support the Trinity River Vision Master Planning effort, the Tarrant Regional Water District launched an 18‑month preliminary design and project management effort to reshape flood control through downtown Fort Worth. Aging industrial land, flood risk, and limited river access constrained redevelopment. The project set out to relocate a segment of the Trinity River using a bypass channel that could safely convey flood flows away from downtown, while enabling a new isolated waterfront designed for mixed‑use neighborhoods, education and recreation.
Integrating complex flood control structures
The project advanced preliminary designs for three flood isolation gates and the Samuels Avenue Dam, coordinating civil, structural, geotechnical and hydraulic requirements to meet flood performance criteria.
Coordinating utilities and transportation systems
Design teams identified major utility conflicts and roadway disruptions, developing relocation concepts, bridge profiles, detours and staging plans to maintain mobility and service continuity.
Balancing flood mitigation and ecosystem goals
Valley storage mitigation sites, habitat restoration opportunities and water quality modeling were integrated into the design to offset floodplain impacts and enhance ecological conditions.
The bypass channel design includes an 8,400‑foot‑long, 360‑foot‑wide corridor with a floodwall on one bank and an earthen levee on the other, along with retaining walls, access ramps and public amenities. CDM Smith delivered designs at all required milestones, prepared construction schedules for multiple contracts, and developed cost estimates using USACE‑approved methods. Together, these efforts help restore flood protection for downtown Fort Worth while creating a multi‑use river corridor that supports long‑term growth.