Rachel Hawkins, NDG, Staff Writer
Irving is always striving to improve their community as the city continues to enjoy booming commercial and residential development. Therefore, it is no surprise they set their focus on identifying what is best for their roads and drainage systems.
Starting in 2016, Irving launched the Road to the Future: $100 Million in 5 Years. The City of Irving Capital Improvement Program (CIP) will create developments and improvements to signal the economic strength of the community. Construction also produces an increase in stormwater runoff. The simultaneous goals include protecting 229 structures south of State Highway (SH) 183 from a 100-year flood, as well as 10 bridges; maintaining 1,440 road lane-miles; reduce floodplain limits in Irving; and protect both public and private property.
Phase four of the project read on the agenda as: Item 8 – Awarding a Contract to Austin Filter Systems, Inc., for $21,517,972.00 for the Upper Delaware Creek Improvements Project, was approved on April 18, Irving City Council meeting.
This item was presented to the Transportation and Natural Resource Committee on April 3, 2019, this a key part of proposed projects to improve the drainage channels downstream of State Highway 183. Recommended by the Capital Improvement Program Department, the main goal of the Upper Delaware Creek Improvements Project is to maintain and extend water, wastewater and stormwater systems, by making channel improvements to Delaware Creek from Cripple Creek Drive to State Highway 183.
This project will also make improvements to six street bridges, one pedestrian bridge and install wastewater main per Water Utilities Wastewater Master Plan. The City of Irving has already spent over $80 million in widening drainage channels.
It has not been a smooth process on the pathway to approval. Irving City Councilmember Kyle Taylor did request pulling the item from consideration to gain an understanding of why the staff was in favor of approving a continuing relationship with the vendor, Austin Filter. Ultimately, although there have been mistakes made by Austin Filter, they agreed the company deserves a second chance.
“I believe everyone deserves a chance at redemption,” Taylor said. “Austin Filter has admitted they have made some decisions they wish they could’ve done better, and they have come and asked for a second chance. I wanted to ensure the folks in district seven that we have done our diligence, that we have done our homework, and we have a commitment from both the owner and the city staff that this will be a little bit of a better ran project.”
David Palmer, Irving City Councilmember also agreed with Taylor.
“This will accumulate once it’s done in about 2 and a half years,” Palmer said. “In the last major event we had last September last year, there was about 39 homes along this channel that were flooded. Many of those are still today being renovated. So by doing this, we are removing hundreds of homes from the flood zone in that area of town.”
These channel improvements will protect 108 structures along with the project, from the 100-year storm event. The drainage channels will receive higher flows as a result of the improvements made to the drainage culverts which cross State Highway 183, previously completed by the Texas Department of Transportation contractor.
The improvement project consists of four phases and is slated for completion in 2021. The four phases are:
- Phase 1: Delaware Creek from Grauwyler Road to Cripple Creek Drive; Embassy Channel from Delaware Creek to SH 183.
- Phase 2: Brockbank Channel from Grauwyler Road to SH 183.
- Phase 3: Delaware Creek from MacArthur Boulevard to Lively Park; Brockbank Channel from Grauwyler Road to Lively Park.
- Phase 4: Delaware Creek from Cripple Creek Drive to SH 183.
