Missouri City residents can expect to see continued improvements of streets and sidewalks this year.

The Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce hosted an infrastructure update for Missouri City on March 28 to provide community members more information about city projects.

The backstory

Missouri City completed a citywide assessment of sidewalks and pavement infrastructure in October 2020 to determine which areas were in need of rehabilitation.

Public Works Director Shashi Kumar said the study recommended the city invest more to reduce the backlog of needed repairs, which included:
  • More than $150 million in street repair/rehabilitation projects
  • More than $300 million in street reconstruction projects
Since the study, Kumar said City Council committed additional funding to address the backlog, including:
  • Increased annual operating budget for repair and rehabilitation
  • A November 2021 $85.85 bond program focused on street reconstruction projects
  • Building a reserve fund, including 65% of excess fund balance to the Pavement Maintenance and Management Program
The breakdown


Through the pavement program, Kumar said the city is committing funding through the annual operating budget for panel replacements, asphalt road repair and mud-jacking, which pumps mud under sunken concrete to lift it.

“About 50% of our streets are close to being [or already] failing,” he said. “Most of this is not just unique to Missouri City; if you do Houston, if you do other cities, you will see the same thing.”

The city allocated $5.3 million in street improvements for the ongoing fiscal year 2023-24 with a breakdown by districts, including:
  • District A: $1.27 million
  • District B: $1.51 million
  • District C: $488,556
  • District D: $2.03 million
Digging in

In addition to road projects, city staff also implemented the sidewalk rehabilitation and prioritization project based on safety factors, including:
  • Severity of horizontal or vertical separation, which cause tripping hazards
  • Ponding of water on sidewalk
  • Located in areas that provide access to schools
  • Serve residents with accessibility needs
The city is also allocated $991,460 in sidewalk repair for FY 2023-24 by district, including:
  • District A: $94,927
  • District B: $515,466
  • District C: $325,176
  • District D: $55,891
City staff is always looking for ways to innovate and is exploring pilot programs with neighboring jurisdictions to evaluate alternatives for concrete sidewalks, including recycled rubber flexible pavement, Kumar said.


Why it matters

In Missouri City’s third quarter of 2023 community satisfaction survey, 55% of respondents ranked street, sidewalk and infrastructure maintenance as a city service they deem most important.

“This is the bread and the butter of infrastructure,” Kumar said. “We have 600 lane miles of streets, and every year we are adding more, and about 370 miles of concrete sidewalks—it’s not a small thing.”