With a population of 740,000, the city of Fort Worth, Texas, needs to keep its roads properly maintained so that people can easily get to their destinations. And that is the primary role of its Transportation and Public Works (TPW) Department, Acting Director Greg Simmons says. In the city, TPW maintains 7,000 miles of street surface, 700 miles of sidewalks, 500 miles of storm water channels, 17,000 street lights, 200 rail crossings, and 20,000 storm drains and inlets. “[Our] staff routinely analyzes and recommends transit and roadway projects that will reduce congestion, improve air quality and move traffic,” the city says.
“We do all the planning and management of the capital improvement projects for all those different systems,” Simmons adds.
“We also are responsible for the maintenance of most city buildings as well as the management of capital projects for new city buildings,” he says, adding that the TPW has an environmental management system that monitors the water and air quality issues for Fort Worth.
Gratifying Work
Simmons, who joined the TPW in 2001, holds a long background in this field. Previously, he was in the Civil Engineer Corps of the U.S. Navy, which manages public works functions for the Navy and Marine Corps.
After all these years, Simmons still gets satisfaction from the work. “I just enjoy [providing] service to the public as opposed to something that is more profit oriented,” he explains.
“[We are] focused on the community and contributing to someone’s life. [Working for] the city is something I find gratifying.”
Simmons credits TPW’s success to its employees. “I’ve got a lot of talented people,” he says, praising their creative spirits.
“[My] people are interested in finding better ways to do things [and] to try new technologies and new products.”
One recent example of this is a pilot program to catch trash and other pollutants before they enter the stormwater systems and ultimately, the city’s creeks and streams. Already, TPW has installed state-of-the-art devices in a number of inlets in Fort Worth and at some stormwater outfalls into ponds and streams.
These will gauge the effectiveness of the devices at protecting the water quality. Based on the performance of the systems, TPW will decide whether or not to expand the program.
Under Management
TPW also has its Storm Water Management program, which works to modernize the Fort Worth stormwater system and educate people about the dangers that can arise from flash flooding, the city says.
“The city is in the process of installing high-water warning flashers in the most prone areas,” it says.
Another area of focus is drainage channel maintenance. “Storm Water Management provides major maintenance to most drainage channels within the city,” it says. “This work consists of erosion repair, sediment removal, vegetation management and removal of downed trees and other blockages. However, routine mowing and trash pick-up are normally the responsibility of the property owner.”
Coping with the Economy
Like many governmental entities, TPW currently is facing the challenges of the economy, Simmons says. For instance, the department has had to reduce the amount of infrastructure maintenance in some areas.
The amount of funding it will receive based on tax revenues “is going to be very inadequate,” Simmons admits. “The city is trying to look at some different ways of getting revenues and providing [the funding] to support [Fort Worth’s] needs.”
One way the city may adapt to these challenges is through the establishment of a transportation utility. “[It] would be another fee that property owners in the city of Fort Worth pay,” he says. “For most residents, it would be a very small fee, but for a large business that gets a lot of traffic, the fee could be sizable.
“The condition of the infrastructure is definitely not optimal,” he admits. “It’s a challenge to have the level of funding you need to keep things in good condition. Once you let [the infrastructure] degrade to where it needs to be replaced, it gets a lot more expensive.”
However, Simmons still remains positive about the future of TPW. “We’re just having to strategize on how to optimally address a very large need without an adequate source of revenue,” he explains. “It requires a lot of innovation and creativity and prioritization, and that’s what we’ll continue working on.”
