A new road and drainage project will provide another way for drivers to travel east and west across McAllen.
The city of McAllen broke ground on a project to expand Dove Avenue, connecting Bentsen Road to North 41st Street on Thursday.
The additional quarter mile will be a four-lane urban roadway that will include curb and gutter as well as five-foot sidewalk on both sides of Dove Avenue.
The project will also address drainage along the new section of Dove Avenue and the adjoining property by adding infrastructure and improving the current receiving system to reduce flooding.
The drainage improvements will include a bridge class culvert crossing of the Mission/McAllen Drainage Canal located to the south of the project area and potable water infrastructure improvements.
“One of the many challenges that we face in terms of our city has always been traffic mobility and, to me, we have the mantra of “Mobility is Prosperity,” said City Commissioner Joaquin “J.J” Zamora. “And so as we continue to grow north and northwest in our city, we have more and more subdivisions.”
He remarked on the congestion he’d witnessed in the area, often seeing a backlog of vehicles waiting to make a left turn on Bentsen Road, north of Buddy Owens.
“I can almost assure you that this will alleviate some of those traffic patterns and allow a little bit more mobility throughout our city,” Zamora said.
City Manager Roel “Roy” Rodriguez said the project addressed many of the city’s priorities when it comes to capital improvement projects.
“For starters, we are extending a street about a quarter mile all the way to the west end of our city limits which is always a good thing,” Rodriguez said. “But more importantly, it represents the strength and prosperity of our city as we continue to expand.”
Rodriguez pointed out the $3.2 million project is not funded by taxpayer money but was being funded by the McAllen Development Corporation.
Construction is expected to last approximately a year, through January 2024.
