The reason for the road work goes beyond showing off Plano’s prized flora—the city is getting older. Most Plano roads were built in the ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s, when the city was experiencing “booming growth,” City Manager Mark Israelson said.
“The echo effect is that we’re needing significant maintenance, repair and even replacement now, 30 and 40 years later,” he said.
A large portion of that road work is arterial overlay projects, a concrete repair process that is meant to lengthen a road’s lifespan by more than a decade, Plano Senior Engineer Samson Bekele said.
Included in Plano’s 2025 bond package, which voters will decide on in May, is $130 million for 38 more miles of overlays.
Two-minute impact
Arterial overlay projects on sections of Los Rios Boulevard, Plano Parkway and East Parker Road finished late 2024, while three more projects are set to complete in the first half of 2025.
Those three projects funded by the 2021 bond on Hedgcoxe Road from Custer Road to Preston Road, Parker Road between Preston and Parkwood Boulevard and Midway Road between Park Boulevard and Parkway are currently on hold due to winter weather, but expected to start back up in “late March or early April,” Bekele said.
Additionally, a contract for work on sections of Independence Parkway and Alma Drive will go to council for approval on Feb. 24.
Director of Public Works Abby Owens said that half of the city’s roads are more than 30 years old, and “preventative maintenance treatments” are needed to avoid road deterioration that requires more extensive reconstruction.
Why it matters
While creating more road work in the short term, the arterial overlay process is meant to extend the lifespan of Plano’s roads.
Bekele said the arterial overlays are meant to protect the asphalt from deterioration, and last about 15-20 years before needing maintenance. The process includes replacing panels of concrete before a machine called a spray paver applies the arterial overlay.
Streets that undergo a concrete replacement without an overlay would need maintenance every five years, on average.
“It’s way too much disruption for the public if we have to go back that frequently,” Bekele said.
What they’re saying
In Plano’s most recent citizen survey, conducted in 2022, maintenance of city streets was earmarked as the city’s top priority.
Street maintenance ranked as the fifth-top priority for city residents, while only 57% of respondents were satisfied with Plano’s current level of street maintenance—the four public safety related categories that ranked above street maintenance in importance all had more than 90% satisfaction.
The survey also showed that 36% of respondents were satisfied with the city’s traffic congestion, below the national average of 47%.
Bekele noted the process of concrete replacement and overlays can take 18-24 months. Parker Road is one Plano roadway that has seen traffic impacts from arterial overlay projects, a recently completed water main replacement and multiple intersection improvement projects.
Amber Lopez is the owner of Woof Pack, a dog grooming and boarding business at the corner of Parker and Alma. The business opened in August and Lopez said that she’s already seen the impacts of Parker’s extensive construction.
“A lot of our customers have said that the traffic and construction has been ongoing for more than a year and they hate it,” Lopez said. “Some people are avoiding Parker altogether.”
Council member Maria Tu acknowledged the negative impacts of Plano’s road construction, but called it “necessary.”
“We cannot have that continuously,” Tu said. “But we need to look 20 years down the road.”
What’s next
With 31 miles of arterial overlays already done, Bekele said the city plans to complete 9 more miles of road each year, on average.
The ultimate goal, he added, is to have arterial overlays on every Plano road by 2036, making the city’s streets less prone to needing maintenance going forward. Voters will decide whether or not to fund the next 38 miles of overlay projects in May.
