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Taylor council directs staff to pursue two TxDOT active-transportation grants
Summary
The council voted 4-0 to move forward with preliminary applications for two TxDOT Transportation Alternatives set-aside grants: the Crosstown Connector (sidewalks and a shared-use path) and a 10-foot shared-use path on FM 3349. The projects would require a 20% local match if awarded.
Taylor City Council on Feb. 13 authorized staff to proceed with preliminary applications for two Texas Department of Transportation Transportation Alternatives set-aside grants, directing staff to return with formal resolutions for final applications later this spring.
Leslie, a city staff member, described the two proposed projects: the Crosstown Connector, which would add new five-foot sidewalks and a 10-foot shared-use path on segments of MLK, Dolan, Fifth and Old Thorndale, and a separate project to build a 10-foot off-street shared-use path along the east side of FM 3349 from Samsung Highway to Mustang Creek. "This project highlights that the city has made progress towards implementing this project because you're moving forward with the blue," Leslie said of earlier-design work the city already funded for part of the Crosstown route.
The estimated total construction-plus-fees cost for the Crosstown Connector is about $4,420,000, with a 20% local match of approximately $885,000. The FM 3349 project is estimated at about $2,900,000 with a 20% match of about $583,000. Jeff, a city staff member, said the matches likely would be funded in a later year, possibly 2027–2028, "probably through some type of debt instrument." He also warned that the program is highly competitive: "There's $250,000,000 statewide. It's very competitive. I would almost call it hyper competitive."
TxDOT uses a two-step application process: a preliminary application due Feb. 21 followed by a full application due April 16. TxDOT has indicated it will award at most one project per municipality in this round. Councilmembers asked staff to explore adding additional local connections to the Crosstown scope, such as links to First Avenue, Second Avenue and nearby neighborhoods, and to check feasibility where utility or right-of-way constraints exist.
A motion to approve moving forward with the preliminary applications carried 4-0. Councilmembers directed staff to prepare the formal resolution and the full grant application for the April deadline if the city proceeds.
Next steps: staff will finalize the preliminary applications by the Feb. 21 deadline, refine scopes and maps for the April 16 full applications, and return to council with the required resolution and any recommended funding plan for the local match.
