PHOTO #1: The City of Victoria will begin reconstructing Nueces Street between Navarro Street and Laurent Street during fiscal year 2022.
PHOTO #2: The City of Victoria during fiscal year 2022 will select an engineering service to design a reconstruction project in part of the Tanglewood subdivision.
PHOTO #3: A crew applies a protective seal coating in the Cimarron subdivision on Sept. 20. The City will continue its residential street maintenance program in fiscal year 2022, sealing neighborhood streets that are in good condition to avoid costly repairs later.
The City’s new budget will take effect Friday, but the street projects planned for next fiscal year are already making history.
The City’s capital improvement plan—the portion of the budget that covers streets, utilities and other large infrastructure projects—includes $34.37 million for fiscal year 2022, the largest single-year amount in the City’s history and a $10 million increase from fiscal year 2021.
The funding for residential and thoroughfare street projects is also the highest yet: $18 million, with residential street funds alone more than tripling from last year. This amount does not include related expenses like utility replacement and project design. For example, the City will also use part of the historic CIP allocation to hire engineering services to design reconstruction projects in College Park, Bon Aire and part of the Tanglewood subdivision.
Capital improvement project manager Todd Jarisch said once the funding becomes available Oct. 1, the City will begin an “aggressive” push to seek bids for street projects. These projects include:
North Heights Phase VII Reconstruction: The final phase of the seven-year reconstruction of the North Heights subdivision will address Nueces Street between Navarro Street and Laurent Street.- Ben Wilson Corridor Project: This project will feature reconstruction, drainage improvements, landscaping and improved pedestrian access to convert the Ben Wilson corridor into an entryway to the University of Houston-Victoria.
- Mill and Overlay: The City will repave Airline Road from Sam Houston Drive to Stockbauer Drive and Mockingbird Lane from Laurent Street to Navarro Street.
- Residential Street Program (maintenance projects): Some neighborhood streets that are in good condition will receive a protective seal coating to avoid costly repairs later.
A full list of CIP projects planned for this fiscal year can be found at www.victoriatx.gov/budget.
The City’s tentative projection for future CIP projects is contained in the five-year CIP, a living, breathing document that is subject to change as each year’s budget is finalized. To view the five-year CIP that was approved in August, visit https://www.victoriatx.gov/273/Engineering.
To request a project to be added to the CIP, visit www.victoriatx.gov/ciprequest.
For more information about specific projects, contact Engineering at 361-485-3340.