Lubbock MPO pursues $21 million BUILD grant for Loop 88 ' knuckle/interchange
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Summary
At its Feb. 17 meeting the Lubbock Metropolitan Planning Organization's policy committee discussed staff's plan to apply for a $21 million BUILD grant to fund a knuckle/roundabout tabletop connecting phases of the Loop 88/US 84 project; staff sought partner letters and committed to TAC review before final action.
Lubbock Metropolitan Planning Organization staff told the Transportation Policy Committee on Feb. 17 that they will apply for a BUILD grant to help fund a knuckle/roundabout tabletop at the Phase 2/Phase 3 boundary of the US 84 / Loop 88 project, asking for $21,000,000 with no local match required at the time of application.
MPO staffer Mr. Lucero said the project aligns with this year's BUILD priorities'freight, safety and innovation'and that part of the funded work would be designated as a rural portion (in coordination with the South Plains Association of Governments, SPAG) so the application competes in a different pool. "The MPO has never gone for a BUILD grant before," Lucero said, "and we're looking to be able to go out, make an ask of $21,000,000; no match will be required at this time." He said staff planned to submit the application by Feb. 24 and had an internal target of Feb. 20 to allow corrections.
Staff described the $21 million as intended to fund key connector elements rather than the entire Phase 2 buildout: eligible uses discussed included frontage roads and the tabletop connection; staff said some 100% design work exists for portions of Loop 88 and that right-of-way acquisition is underway in parts. Mr. Warren, a TxDOT representative, told the board the project is not yet ready for immediate construction: "We don't have the funding, the total funding to build it. We've not begun the plans work on it yet," he said, adding environmental clearance is in place for some components and some landowners have expressed early interest in right-of-way transactions.
Several policy members pressed staff on process and readiness. Mister Atkinson and others asked whether the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) had specifically vetted this application; staff and TAC representatives said TAC had been informed and supportive of seeking funding but had not reviewed every application detail given the tight timeline. Atkinson warned against pursuing a grant without sufficient assurance of the MPO's ability to meet grant obligations on schedule. Lucero acknowledged the quick turnaround but said the staff had discussed feasibility with TxDOT and regional partners and believed a portion of the funds could be obligated and used if awarded.
Board members also discussed scale and matching needs. Staff characterized the $21 million as a significant ask that would represent a portion of a much larger program of projects; one board member pointed to a slide that suggested a smaller percentage contribution, and staff acknowledged the presentation text and on-the-floor descriptions produced different percent figures during discussion.
Chair (County Judge) and other officials said they would provide letters of support; the chair and county also committed letters on behalf of their offices, and Lucero asked member jurisdictions to consider sending letters to strengthen the application. SPAG staff reported they had already sought congressional and state support for the project.
No formal action was taken at the policy committee meeting; staff said they will take the application materials to the TAC for further review and return to the policy committee with a more developed recommendation at a future meeting.
The committee was told BUILD awards are typically announced 8— months after submission and that, if awarded, grantees generally have 18 months to initiate construction activity and may not be required to expend funds until later (staff noted some BUILD funds could remain usable through 2035 for the specific funded portion).
