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City officials present $460 million, 10-year capital plan and staff recommendations for shorter-term road fixes
Summary
City staff told the Board of Mayor and Aldermen the city has about $460 million of projected capital resources over the next 10 years, about $95.6 million of which remains unprogrammed; staff recommended funding a set of priority, mostly transportation projects and adopting recurring scoring and reporting processes.
City staff presented an updated 10-year capital investment plan during the Board of Mayor and Aldermen work session, saying the city forecasts roughly $460 million in available resources and $95.6 million of unprogrammed capacity for additional projects. Michael Walters Young, chief budget performance officer, and Paul Holson, city engineer, led the briefing and proposed a staff-prioritized list of near-term projects focused on transportation and a set of process improvements to guide future decisions.
The city’s financial model divides anticipated resources as roughly 70% cash and 30% debt, with current annual debt service at just under $19 million and a projected peak near $27.3 million in fiscal 2029. "The good news is you've got some capacity in the 10 year model," Walters Young told the board. He cautioned that costs and revenues continue to change and that the model is an unaudited working forecast.
Staff emphasized that many large projects already approved remain under way: 18 of 36 approved projects are complete, five are under construction (representing nearly $250 million in active work), about $62.6 million are in right-of-way or bidding, and roughly $52 million are in design. Paul Holson outlined staff’s short-list recommendation for additional funding that would use available unprogrammed capacity: a phased, lower-cost solution on Franklin Road/Mallory Station to add northbound capacity; Mac Hatcher–Hillsborough intersection westbound lane work; a short-term south Margin/Fifth Avenue signalization and construction; Fire Station 3 replacement; and targeted smaller projects such as sidewalk work on Eddy Lane and completion of Boyd Mill Avenue.
Holson said the Franklin Road option is intentionally scaled down from earlier, larger concepts: "This is that short term option that we're just getting some capacity at a choke point that'll help that intersection work better," he said. He estimated a scaled short-term Franklin Road/Mallory Station fix could take "3 to 5 years" to deliver to construction depending on right-of-way and utilities.
Staff also proposed recurring transparency and decision tools: a publicly accessible project dashboard and project pages, quarterly CIP updates to the board, and a data-driven weighted scoring system for evaluating transportation projects. Walters Young said staff would bring a recommended list back for board review and possible adoption at the board’s next meeting so that projects could be designed or advanced as appropriate.
Board members pressed staff on timing and on whether smaller, numerous improvements could produce better near-term quality-of-life results than a single larger project. Several aldermen urged continued coordination with state transportation partners and federal grant opportunities; staff told the board that TDOT and regional planning work (including a corridor study for I‑65) will shape larger partnership opportunities and that staff will pursue grants when projects are design-ready.
The presentation closed with staff advising that if the board wants items added from the recommended list, staff could return with a resolution for formal adoption so budgets, design and right-of-way work can proceed.
