Environmental Constraints WATER BODIES AND FLOOD RISKS Figure 01-6 indicates FEMA flood zones, which impact both design and construction of transportation infra- structure. Zone A and Zone AE, the high-risk flood areas, require struc- tures to be built with heightened flood resilience, such as elevated bridges with robust floodplain management practices. Zone AO, with its shallow flooding, also necessitates flood-re- sistant designs. Zone X are defined as areas with minimal flood risks by FEMA, however the City has defined additional flood risk areas within this designation.
The majority of Fort Worth falls within Zone X, which poses minimal flood risk compared to higher-risk areas like Zone A or Zone AE. Levees along the Trinity River protect adjacent devel- opment from flood risk, particularly in denser areas near Downtown. This means that while much of the city’s land area is not classified within FEMA-designated floodplains, approximately 50 square miles of FEMA floodplain and 33 square miles of non-FEMA flood risk have been mapped. This allows for more flex- ibility in infrastructure planning in some areas while still necessitating careful consideration of flood risk. The more significant challenge for trans - portation planning is overcoming the physical barriers created by the river and addressing connectivity gaps across these natural divides.
Figure 01-6: FEMA Flood Hazard Areas
The City’s Flood Risk Areas (CFRA) are areas with known high-risk flooding and require structures to be built with heightened flood resilience. The CFRA is outside of the FEMA Flood Zones A, AE, and AO but within Zone X.
1% Annual Exceedence Probability (AEP) Event Flood Zone X
Data Source: FEMA’s National Flood Hazard Layer
The key challenge: bridging barriers and closing connectivity gaps.
MOVING A MILLION | STATE OF THE SYSTEM REPORT
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