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Burleson council directs staff to continue design work for Hulen widening, pauses right-of-way purchases as federal funding is explored
Summary
Council heard detailed engineering and funding options for the Hulen Street widening and Alsbury Boulevard extension, instructed staff to proceed with design while pausing right-of-way acquisition pending CIP updates and federal-funding decisions, and discussed federal eligibility and timing risks.
Randy Morrison, Burleson’s newly appointed director of capital engineering, told the City Council on March 12 that the Hulen Street widening and Alsbury Boulevard extension remain priorities but face funding and coordination challenges.
Morrison summarized the Hulen Street scheme as a conversion from two to four lanes (with an ultimate footprint to accommodate six lanes), a larger median, dual shared-use paths, and accompanying water and sewer improvements. He said the city’s current CIP shows roughly $29.8 million identified for the Hulen corridor, including $9.5 million in G.O. bond funding, $14 million in C.O. bond funding and $6.3 million in water-bond funds. The staff presentation noted that meeting federal design standards and getting the project onto NCTCOG’s Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) would be steps toward federal construction funds but could add design, environmental and right-of-way requirements.
Council members pressed staff about safety at specific intersections, mailbox and monument impacts, sidewalk alignment near a box culvert, and the potential for traffic signals to create new queuing problems at short collectors. Morrison said those issues were identified in community coordination and would be evaluated for mitigation during detailed design.
On Alsbury Boulevard (County Road 1020) Phase 3, Morrison described a 120-foot right-of-way for a four-lane divided facility with turn lanes and shared-use paths, and said the project is in the CIP with $16.5 million identified. He also reported a preliminary construction estimate of about $42.5 million, bringing the total project estimate to more than $50 million and creating a funding gap that staff recommended addressing, in part, by pursuing federal funding eligibility and updating functional classification with TxDOT and NCTCOG.
Faced with the trade-offs — design to federal standards (which can slow delivery and require environmental/NEPA work) versus proceeding under local standards and the current CIP — council coalesced around a hybrid approach. By general agreement, the council instructed staff to continue design work now but pause immediate right-of-way acquisition until updated CIP revenue projections are available and to return with refined cost estimates and next steps. Mayor Chris Fletcher and several council members cited rising construction costs and the benefit of keeping projects shovel-ready should federal opportunities arise.
The council did not take a formal, roll-call vote on a final contract amendment at the meeting; the direction was recorded as staff direction to proceed with design, continue coordination with TxDOT and NCTCOG, and withhold large right-of-way purchases until additional budget clarity.
What’s next: Staff will provide updated engineering estimates, investigate federal TIP placement and environmental requirements, and return to council with cost refinements and any contract amendments needed to incorporate federal-standard work.
"If we were to meet federal standards, the increase in cost is going to be to meet NEPA clearance and related requirements," Morrison said during the presentation, describing the additional hurdles for federal projects.
