For more than a decade many neighbors along Palomino Lane have vocally opposed a project that would extend the road to the north.

The League City City Council heard their arguments, but the project lives. The council on Tuesday approved updating the city’s Master Mobility Plan, which included the Palomino project residents wanted excluded.

Palomino runs from FM 518 north to where it ends at Clear Creek and Clear Springs High School. The project would create a bridge over the creek and extend the road north to connect to FM 528.

Several residents spoke at length against the project at the City Council meeting. Residents said the project would increase traffic, create flooding and drainage concerns, decrease property values and cause other problems. The project could cost more than $20 million, which residents said is fiscally irresponsible to taxpayers.

Still, the council voted 5-3 to include the project in the city’s Master Mobility Plan, which it approved updating.

A few council members said it was unfair to neighbors to keep this project in the books and hang it over their heads when it might never come to fruition. Mayor Pat Hallisey and council members Nick Long and Keith Gross voted to remove the project from the plan.

But most of the council thought removing the project could have ramifications years down the road if a future council decided extending Palomino was the best way to address traffic congestion concerns.

In addition to including various transportation projects the city is considering, the Master Mobility Plan—a previous version of which was approved in February 2012—evaluates the city’s current infrastructure and future transportation needs.

The Master Mobility Plan aims to improve interconnectivity between key destinations, help grow and shape economic development, and improve overall traffic conditions through the city, according to the plan.

The plan includes several goals with objectives and plans to achieve them. Goals include improving mobility, preserving and maintaining existing roads, making League City a special place to live, being fiscally responsible and enhancing the local economy.

“Improving mobility is essential to the overall well-being of League City because as the city grows and develops, existing burdens such as congestion, truck traffic and limited east-to-west connectivity will only be exacerbated,” the plan reads.

Safety issues are identified in the plan, including the fact that League City traffic crashes have increased from 1,225 in 2012 to 2,021 last year. The most crash-prone corridors are also identified in the plan.

Since 2011 the city’s population has grown 18 percent from about 86,000 to about 102,000 and is expected to hit 221,000 residents by 2040. The city’s growth is an important component to determining the best way to plan roads and major throughways, according to the plan.

The City Council on Tuesday also approved seeking outside funding for two road projects, including the Palomino extension.

The Houston-Galveston Area Council has issued a call for projects for its 2018 Transportation Improvement Program. The council voted in favor of submitting the Palomino extension project, and, if approved, HGAC and the Texas Department of Transportation would help fund it.

The council also approved a resolution authorizing an agreement with Galveston County to help fund the reconstruction of Dickinson Avenue. Under the agreement, Galveston County would cover about $6 million of the project.