The overview
Nearly half of the proposed $700 million bond would go toward street improvements. Concrete repairs and residential street repairs would be the two largest items, costing $130 million and $92.75 million, respectively, according to city documents.
Plano’s 2021 bond funded 50 miles of concrete repairs for $100 million, with the final projects from that bond package set to finish in 2025. The proposed 2025 bond would fund 38 miles of concrete repairs for $130 million.
The city has replaced more than 15,000 square feet of concrete in the city since 2022, according to a staff presentation at Plano City Council's Dec. 17 meeting.
The following Plano roads have been earmarked for future concrete overlay projects:
- Alma Road
- Coit Road
- Communication Parkway
- Custer Road
- Independence Parkway
- Legacy Drive
- McDermott Road
- Park Boulevard
- Parker Road
- Plano Parkway
Plano Director of Public Works Abby Owens said that city staff avoids planning overlay projects in areas that will need sewer or water line replacements “so that we don’t have to do concrete repairs twice.”
Owens added that half of the city’s roads are more than 30 years old, and “preventative maintenance treatments,” including asphalt overlays, are needed to avoid road deterioration that requires more extensive reconstruction.
“Not only is that very expensive, but it's also very intense and causes more delays and impacts to traffic as well,” she said.
City Manager Mark Israelson said that the current need for concrete repairs is a result of Plano’s “booming growth in the ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s.”
“The echo effect is that we’re needing significant maintenance, repair and even replacement now, 30 and 40 years later,” he said.
What else?
Plano’s neighborhood street rehabilitation is done by performing maintenance to all roads and alleys within a set area called a “neighborhood zone,” Owens said. Plano has 53 neighborhood zones, and Owens said that city staff aims to hit each zone every 20-25 years, depending on need.
The $92.75 million proposed bond funding for residential repairs would cover approximately eight zones over the next four years.
On top of the combined $222 million for concrete and residential street repairs, the street improvements portion of the 2025 bond would also cover the following projects:
- Traffic improvements, $26.13 million
- Residential and collector street reconstruction, $20 million
- Bridge repair and replacement, $14 million
- Intersection improvements, $8 million
- Screening wall reconstruction, $8 million
- Alley reconstruction, $6 million
- Downtown right of way infrastructure, $6 million
- Sidewalk repairs, $5 million
One final public hearing on the proposed bond is set for Jan. 13, at which point council will begin finalizing the list of bond projects voters would see on the May 5, 2025 ballot.
