Colleyville leaders decide funding for Texas 26

City Council members decided to fund the remainder of work on Texas 26 from John McCain to Brown Trail with the Texas Department of Transportation’s Turnback Program at the pre-council meeting on Dec. 2.

The state department will pay for the remaining construction along the corridor and once that work is complete the state roadway will then belong to the city.

The city will be responsible for maintenance costs including traffic signals, pavement markings, and pavement repair. It will also be responsible for future reconstruction and possible expansion from four lanes to six.

Ownership allows the city to dictate speed limits, driveway cuts, the locations of new signals and more. City council member Chuck Mogged said he prefers the ability for the city to be the ones to decide when the road would need six lanes and not four.

“It removes a whole bunch on agreement on what to do next,” Councilman Chuck Mogged said. “It puts it in our own hands, we can control our destiny, on how to deal with it.”

City staff members estimate that ownership of the road would cost the city about $88,479 a year in signal maintenance and repair, and $120,000 every five years on pavement markings. Officials said it is too difficult to estimate costs for pavement maintenance and repairs.

The other option to the Turnback was for the city to fund the remaining work on the state road and TxDOT would reimburse the city up to 80 percent. After the construction the road would still belong to the state.

Mayor Pro Tem Mike Taylor expressed his desire for the state to keep the road, saying that owning the city’s main street would be a financial burden.

“The largest asset we have in this district is going to be Colleyville Boulevard,” he said. “That money would then not go back to the local roads.”

Council members are seeking some form of commitment that the North Central Texas Council of Governments will help back an expansion project when warranted. The city council members will vote on a formal resolution at the Dec. 16 City Council meeting.

This story was originally published December 9, 2014 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Colleyville leaders decide funding for Texas 26."