The Amarillo City Council unanimously approved $30.3 million in Certificates of Obligation (CO) to fund street construction and infrastructure improvement projects within the city.
The measure aligns with a street maintenance strategic plan established by the previous council in 2023. Projects covered by the debt issuance include:
- $16 million to design and build the Osage Street project from 34th to 58th, scheduled to be completed in two years.
- $12 million for the upcoming summary of street maintenance.
- Repair and maintenance projects.
Streets targeted for maintenance have been in a state of disrepair for years, resulting in damage from cracking, moisture and other conditions. Priority projects include those that require full repaving, with other street repair work being moved down the list.
The street plan presented to the city council provided three treatments to address deteriorating streets. These solutions include:
- Milling and overlaying 30 blocks of arterial roadway.
- Cape sealing – utilizing a mixture of chip seal and micro-surfacing – 69 blocks of arterial roadway.
- Micro-surfacing five residential areas.
Amarillo has an extensive backlog of streets in need of attention and repair. Based on past analyses, the city would need to invest $400 million to adequately fix all its streets. While that investment wasn’t feasible, the city council developed the strategic plan to steadily address and improve road conditions each year.
The city council will continue issuing bonds every year for a decade. The slow and steady approach ensures that the city can appropriate funding for critical projects without overburdening taxpayers.
Image by PIRO from Pixabay
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