Slow but steady is the progress of infrastructure projects under the 2014 Buda bond, with officials estimating completion of Propositions 3, 4 and 5 by 2020.
Proposition 3- Roads
Proposition 3 projects include improvements to Old Goforth Road, Main Street, Main Street at RM 967 and San Antonio Street at Garison Road.
Allan Crozier with HDR Engineering said the Goforth Road improvement project, which includes dedicated left and right turns at Tom Green Elementary, is still ongoing.
“If you’ve been out there, you’ll notice they have the entire northbound side of the road torn up and they are preparing, weather permitting, to lime treat the sub-grade…,” Crozier said.
Crozier said improvements on San Antonio Street have been completed as of November 2018.
However, the Main Street at RM 967 improvement project is still in its design phase, which is 95 percent complete.
A 90 percent review meeting with HDR and the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is scheduled for March 13. Crozier said pending TxDOT reviews, he anticipated letting of the project this summer.
Meanwhile, Pedernales Electric Cooperative (PEC) is conducting underground utility relocation for the Main Street project, which should be completed by late March or early April. Frontier Communications has submitted an agreement in the amount of $253,091.66 for the utility relocation. The approval of that agreement will come to the city council in the near future.
The Main Street improvements, which includes addressing drainage issues at Ash and Main streets, along with correcting an adverse grade issue on an existing sanitary sewage line, is 90 percent complete on the design phase.
But a proposed connector that is slated to bridge west Goforth Road to Cabela’s Drive is on hold after funding was not approved by the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization in 2018.
The geotechnical and prevent studies are complete for the Cabela’s Connector project, and the city is in discussion with property owners regarding the right of entry and acquisition of right-of-way.
Projected cost for all road projects is around $3.4 million, which was updated in February.
Crozier said the currently projected savings is around $250,000, but that is contingent on future bids.
Proposition 4 – Drainage
Construction on drainage improvements along Houston Street is currently at 70 percent, according to officials. Estimated completion is slated for late March.
Crozier said there are a couple of issues still lingering, including acquisition of a Union Pacific Railroad permit.
Two PEC utility poles have been relocated so far during work on improving drainage in the Oxbow subdivision, which began in August 2018. That project is slated to be done by August 2019.
The Fire Station/Bluff Street Area drainage project was recently approved for a FEMA grant in early February. However, utility coordination is still ongoing with AT&T.
One hundred percent of the plans and specs for the west Goforth Street improvement plan is complete.
However, the advanced funding agreement (AFA) for the project is still delayed by TxDOT. The advertisement for bidding is scheduled for September 2019.
According to the updated financial standing, the projects will total around $1.3 million. Crozier said the projects are running around $390,000 below the initial program budget.
Mayor George Haehn told HDR officials he is still worried about the delays for the project.
“Again, we’ve dodged a bullet about as long as we’re going to and I’m really worried about the continued delays,” Haehn said. “If there is anything we can do to move this along just let us know.”
Prop 5 - Parks
The parks projects are moving faster than the other propositions, according to officials.
A splash pad in Green Meadows is expected to open this spring.
Eighty-five percent of the construction at Buda City Park has been completed by the city’s Public Works department. Offiicals said the Barr Company will soon take over the rest of the construction job. Estimated completion time for City Park upgrades is January 2020.
Around $300,000 has been allocated to the Garlic Creek Trails project, but the city is looking at other funding sources through grants or public donations.
