With preliminary cost estimates putting the first of five city road bond projects $1.6 million over budget, Kyle City Council is considering ways to get creative.
LJA, which is providing consulting services for the city's project to rebuild and widen Bunton Creek Road, has told city staff that the scope of the project as proposed would cost about $6.6 million, City Engineer Leon Barba said at an Aug. 19 City Council meeting.
The city of Kyle had budgeted $5 million of the $36 million road bond funds toward the project.
Council members suggested that rather than use less expensive materials and construct utility lines in-house to reduce costs, narrowing the scope of the project should be considered.
"Obviously going down in the width, and staying within our existing right of way, will absolutely expedite building this road," Mayor Todd Webster said.
Construction on Bunton Creek Road was anticipated to begin in 2015. Other road projects approved in a May 2013 bond election include Lehman and Goforth roads as well as Burleson Street and Marketplace Avenue.
The project was proposed to expand Bunton Creek Road to as many as five lanes between Goforth Road and Dacy Lane. Other segments would have 2–4 lanes.
But constructing a five-lane roadway would entail right-of-way acquisitions that would cost as much as $1.2 million, Barba said.
With construction costs, water and wastewater improvements and engineering totaling $5.4 million, the project is $1.6 million over the proposed $5 million mark.
Outgoing City Manager Lanny Lambert, whose resignation was accepted at the meeting, suggested the city reduce the amount of land purchased through condemnation for right-of-way access and build utility lines associated with the project in-house.
"If we build in-house, we only pay the cost of materials," Lambert said. "These costs comprise a substantial portion of the construction costs. I think that would get close to what our budget is."
The city should cap the scope of the project to three lanes at maximum, Councilwoman Samantha Bellows-LeMense said. She also urged city staff not to "go cheap on materials."
"As far as getting out on the cheap for materials, I'm not OK with that," Bellows-LeMense said. "But I would definitely scale back this project."
Kyle City Council will convene on Aug. 26 and Sept. 9 for workshops to discuss the road bond project.
Other highlights from the Aug. 19 meeting include:
- The City Council authorized submitting a notice to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality that the city intends to decertify the service area of Monarch Utilities, which encompasses 107 acres. The city will take over water and wastewater service for customers currently serviced by Monarch. The decision was unanimous.
- Lambert is proposing that the city construct all five of its road bond projects at once. Due to rising construction costs, the city could see multiple projects exceed their budgets if it builds the roads through 2019 as proposed, he said.
- Lambert, who recently announced he was taking a position in Converse, had his resignation formally accepted by the council. Aug. 19 was his final city council meeting, and Sept. 2 will be his last day at the city of Kyle.
