McKinney approves $8.95 million Taxiway Alpha Phase 2 project with $7 million TxDOT grant

McKinney City Council on Monday approved a project to rehabilitate and extend Taxiway Alpha at McKinney National Airport, accepting $7 million in grant funding from the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and committing local match funds and design costs.

Airport Director Ken Carly told the council the project would repair pavement first laid in the late 1980s, add a new connector, and remove an aging connector at the taxiway’s south end. Carly said TxDOT increased its proposed grant from $5.2 million to $7 million and wants to issue the grant before the state fiscal year ends; total project cost was presented as $8,950,000, including a proposed local match of $1,500,000 and design costs of $449,800.

The council approved three related items: Ordinance 25-2885 to increase the city’s participation and accept additional state participation; a resolution awarding a design contract to Garver LLC; and a resolution authorizing the city manager to execute the grant agreement with TxDOT. Councilwoman Feltes moved to approve Ordinance 25-2885; the motion carried. Councilmember Lynch moved to authorize the design contract; the motion carried. A subsequent motion to approve the TxDOT grant agreement also carried.

Carly said the airport and TxDOT plan to bid the project in October, award the contract after the holidays and begin construction in March, with an estimated 12-month construction period. He said the work supports adjacent aeronautical development, including previously funded taxi link work and pending hangar projects that the rehabilitation will serve.

Council discussion focused on accepting available grant funding while confirming the anticipated local match and the project timeline. No amendments to the project financing were offered during the floor discussion.