The City of Fort Worth plans to replace cast-iron water mains and several sanitary sewers in the Bill Glade, Selkirk and Inverness area in Council District 3, city project manager Clayton Torrance said at a community design meeting. The project is in the design phase and is intended to reduce frequent main breaks.

The work will replace cast-iron water lines on Bill Glade Road, Selkirk Drive and Inverness Avenue and replace sanitary sewer lines in several easements behind homes, Torrance said. The city’s engineering design consultant on the project is Half and Associates; Leah Hodge is the consultant project manager. Torrance said Fort Worth Water has committed to replacing at least 20 miles of cast-iron pipe every year as part of its capital program.

“This project in particular is going to be replacing cast iron water lines in Bill Glade Road, Selkirk Drive, and Inverness Avenue,” Clayton Torrance, project manager, said. He told residents the project boundaries run roughly from Lennarque Avenue on the north to Southwest Loop 820 on the south, Granbury Road on the east and South Drive on the west, and that South Cliff Church and Wedgwood Academy border the area. Torrance also identified the Foster Park Neighborhood Association as a community group that will be impacted by construction.

Torrance described how water service will be maintained during construction: crews will transfer service from the existing line to a temporary above‑ground line, then transfer service from the temporary line to the new line. “Your water will be turned off for 15 to 30 minutes when service is transferred from the existing line to a temporary waterline,” Torrance said. He added that a typical transfer visit takes roughly 30 minutes per house. The city will notify affected households in advance and contractors will knock on doors before shutting water off.

Torrance said the temporary line is used so customers are not without water during construction, and that billing for water used while connected to the temporary line will be based on an average of the previous month’s usage. He said sanitary sewer service will not be interrupted and that new sewer cleanouts will be installed at the property or easement line to provide crew access for blockages or backups.

On scheduling, Torrance said the project is currently in design and that the team expects to bid the project “maybe to be bid sometime in the fall of this year,” contingent on whether any easements must be acquired. He said the project is about 60% through design. If easements are required, the timeline could be extended. Torrance said the city will hold a pre-construction meeting after the contractor is selected and a community construction meeting to share the start date and block‑level schedule.

Residents asked about driveway access, tree removal and how long work on an individual street would last. Torrance said crews will coordinate with homes and businesses that need driveway access during active construction hours. He said the city’s “intention would not be to take down trees if it can be avoided,” but that root intrusion or other conditions can make tree removal necessary in isolated cases. On duration, he said it is hard to give exact figures but estimated replacing water and sewer on a single street segment could take “a couple of months.”

Torrance directed residents to the City of Fort Worth project page (project number 104916) for updates and said a PDF of the presentation and a link to the meeting video will be posted there. For project questions he gave a project phone number, 817‑392‑8528, and an email contact (clayton.torrance@fortworthtexas.gov). For 24‑hour emergencies he cited 817‑392‑4477 (option 1) and said non‑emergencies may be reported 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Less critical details discussed included trash pickup during street closures (contractor staff will move carts to the opposite side of the street for collection) and the city inspector and contractor coordinating access when driveway or business access is needed. Torrance closed by inviting residents to the future construction meeting, likely later in the year.