City Council received an update on potential mobility improvement projects from Director of Transportation and Mobility Mark Nelson during its Nov. 3 meeting.
What you need to know
City staff’s minimum recommendation included between $15 million and $20 million for mobility projects.
The largest items in the proposition would be the replacement of traffic signals at 14 intersections, costing $9.5 million to fund.
Nelson said that the average life cycle for a traffic signal is 25-30 years, and that Richardson has 16 older than 25 years old—the two not included in the package are operated by the Texas Department of Transportation.
Nelson added that 33 of Richardson’s traffic signals are not Americans with Disabilities Act compliant. Upgrades to those signals were not included in the minimum recommendation, but council and City Manager Don Magner supported adding $1.3 million funding to the proposition.
“I think $1.3 million is a poor excuse not to address something as important as ADA,” he said.
The minimum recommended proposition also includes $2.9 million to replace school zone flashers and $2.6 million for Owens Trail and street crossing upgrades.
Council member Dan Barrios said supported adding the construction of new traffic signals at the intersections of Renner Road and Sharp Lane and Beltline Road and Weatherred Drive.
“I would hate to see another bond go through where we don't address Belt Line and Weatherred,” he said. “And looking at that intersection at Renter and Sharp, I feel like there's a lot of similarities there.”
Another thing
Eight traffic signal improvement projects funded by the city's 2021 bond have been completed, according to Nelson.
He added that four are currently under construction and seven are in the design process. Two of the projects on Floyd Road are still in the planning phase.
The city is working with the University of Texas at Dallas to convert the intersection of Floyd and Synergy Park Boulevard into a roundabout, while the signal upgrades at Floyd and Lookout Drive are unfunded due to “inflationary pressure on other projects,” according to the presentation.
Looking ahead
Council will continue to develop the bond program with several presentations on proposed projects through November and December before refining the propositions in January.
Council will decide whether or not to call a bond election on Feb. 9, according to the presentation, and election day is May 2.
