Upper Kirby TIRZ’s $125M budget to help reconstruct, improve roadways

Houston City Council approved a $125 million capital improvement project budget for the Upper Kirby Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone for fiscal years 2026-2030.

Of the total cost, $82.5 million will go toward road reconstruction, with $2.2 million going toward drainage system improvements.

Breaking it down

Projects included in the $82.5 million budget will help with right-of-way acquisition and reconstruction of existing roadways with concrete paving, curbs, sidewalks, street lighting and underground utilities. Those projects include:

• West Alabama reconstruction ($47.4 million): This project will run from Buffalo Speedway to Shepherd Drive.
• Bissonnet reconstruction ($35.4 million): This project will run from Kirby Drive to Edloe Street.

Other items in the budget include Westpark improvements, Kirby Drive improvements and the Upper Kirby Civic Complex, a proposed complex that will reorient Levy Park from a north-south alignment to an east-west alignment, providing visibility and accessibility from two streets, according to the agenda item.

• Westpark improvements: $100,000 will go toward improvements from Kirby Drive to Edloe Street and will move the bikeway away from the road so the road can be reconstructed.
• Kirby Drive improvements: $18.6 million will go toward reconstruction that includes roadway improvements, storm sewer, water, wastewater and burying private utilities. The project will run from Highway 59 to Bissonnet Street.