$95 million expansion of convention center starts construction in Fort Worth
August 14,2023
See full NBC DFW article by Lucy Ladis here.
The City of Fort Worth will begin construction in August on the 20-year planned expansion of the Fort Worth Convention Center and expects to complete renovations by early 2026.
Phase 1 will add state-of-the-art food and beverage facilities, demolish an outdated 1983 annex, increase the center's loading docks from seven to 11 and realign Commerce Street to the east to create a site pad for a future convention hotel.
"According to the state of Texas, Fort Worth's visitor economy generates over $3 billion annually and employs over 30,000 of our residents," said Mike Crum, director of public events for the City of Fort Worth. "This expansion will allow us to deliver an even more delightful experience to our guests and remain competitive with other Texas cities."
The project was originally supposed to start in 2020 but was put on hold due to the pandemic.
On Aug. 9, a convention center town hall meeting outlined the timing of specific construction activities, street and parking lot closures, traffic flow, green space and infrastructure plans for the expansion. The convention center is located in District 9 and all city road closers are posted on fortworthtexas.gov.
More construction is happening in Downtown Fort Worth to support this expansion. The Omni Fort Worth Hotel, located next door to the convention center, outlined plans for a new $200 million structure that adds 400 guest rooms and 50,000 square feet of new meeting space.
On the other side of the convention center, Texas A&M’s new Fort Worth campus broke ground this past June. The plans include an innovation and research facility, a law and education building and a gateway office building set to be complete by October 2025.
Location Mentioned: Fort Worth Convention Center