Local artist/landscape architect team of Etty Horowitz and Kevin Sloan have revised their original I-30 Gateway Monument design to fit the new State Highway 121 site, utilizing all of the key elements (with the exception of the concrete barriers which do not work with the size, topography and drainage requirements of the new site). Included are brick pavers to be donated by Acme Brick, which will serve as a visual reference to the "Old Road to the West;" abundantly planted native Texas wildflowers and grasses; and large-scale Corten steel letters that line up to spell out "Fort Worth". The project will occupy an area measuring approximately 425 feet in length by 25 feet in width.
The new site on westbound State Highway 121 in the north right-of-way median (between west of Maxine Street and east of Beach Street) was approved on February 14, 2017, by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) North Area Office. It offers dramatic views of the downtown Fort Worth skyline and is located just inside the Fort Worth City Limits as drivers approach downtown from the northeast and Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.
The team was placed under a Revised Preliminary Design Agreement (City Secretary Contract No. 50247) dated February 12, 2018. On January 14, 2019, the Fort Worth Art Commission (FWAC) approved the Revised Preliminary Design and recommended the team be placed under a Final Design Agreement.
Background: In October, 2016, TxDOT informed the City of Fort Worth that the site previously approved for the I-30 Gateway Monument Public Art Project was no longer viable. TxDOT stated that a new site needed to be selected on a state highway not subject to federal review. This was due to: (1) the Federal Highway Safety Administration (FHWA) revoking their previously approved variance on size and their requirement that the project meet TxDOT's monument guidelines, which had been waived for this design; (2) TxDOT's future expansion of I-30, while not currently funded, is now planned to occur within 5-10 years; and (3) the I-30 corridor is now the preferred route for a future high speed rail line.
Implementation and Next Steps: Under this Final Design Agreement, Etty Horowitz and Kevin Sloan will finalize the aesthetic design and provide civil and structural engineering and stamped construction documents. Upon approval of the Final Design and construction documents, the City will let the project for bidding by TxDOT - certified contractors.
A future M&C will request authorization of a construction contract between the City and a TxDOT - certified contractor, to be paid for by Texas Governor's Community Achievement Award (GCAA) funds. Future Landscape Management and a Municipal Maintenance Agreements between the City and TxDOT, will allow the City to locate the project on TxDOT Right-of-Way, and the City will retain full ownership of and maintenance responsibilities for the public art and landscaping project.
Funding for the Final Design of the project has been appropriated, and the Project was included in the Fort Worth Public Art Fiscal Year 2019 Annual Work Plan, adopted by the Fort Worth City Council on November 6, 2018, as M&C G-19412.
FWAC Action: On January 14, 2019, the FWAC approved Etty Horowitz and Kevin Sloan's Revised Preliminary Design and recommended they be placed under a Final Design Agreement. PROJECT BUDGET | AMOUNT | CONTRACT | Preliminary Design (I-30 Site) | $15,000.00 | CSC# 43918 | Final Design (I-30 Site) | $63,714.16 | CSC# 46947 | Revised Preliminary Design (SH121 Site) | $21,000.00 | CSC# 50247 | Final Design and Contingency (SH121 Site) | $105,479.84 | This M&C | TOTAL | $205,194.00 | |
FUNDING SOURCES | AMOUNT | Specially Funded Capital Projects Budget (Public Art Fund) - Design | $205,194.00 | Texas Governor's Community Achievement Award - Construction | $265,000.00 | TOTAL | $470,194.00 |
M/WBE Office - The City's overall M/WBE goal for the Fort Worth Public Art Program is 25 percent of total capital project dollars expended on public art annually.
Council Member Cary Moon concurs with the FWAC's recommendation to proceed with Final Design for the State Highway 121 Public Art and Landscaping Project. The project serves the entire City.
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