HARLINGEN — Soon, the city’s sidewalks will tie into its trail system, linking neighborhoods, schools and retail centers.
It’s all part of plan to create a network to make the city “a walkable community,” Assistant City Manager Carlos Sanchez said yesterday.
Last week, city commissioners launched the first leg of a $3.2 million project to build nearly 17 miles of sidewalks across four areas of town.
Commissioners approved a $3,983 “down payment” to give the Texas Department of Transportation the go-ahead to build 1.48-miles of sidewalks along Loop 499 from Rio Hondo Road to FM 106.
Now, the state will fund the $544,711, for which the city’s overall share is $12,972.
Construction is expected to run from December to early spring.
“That’s a great deal for the city,” Sanchez said, referring to the city’s share of the project.
Along Loop 499, the sidewalk will link joggers and bicyclists with a 4.1-mile trail running from Hugh Ramsey Nature Park to Texas State Technical College.
Last year, city officials merged city and county plans to come up with the project to link sidewalks to the trail system, Sanchez said.
“We look at connectivity to the Hike and Bike Trail to residential areas, schools, the library and retail centers,” Sanchez said. “It creates a more walkable community. The sidewalks will allow mobility for citizens to be more active, to go to work, to shop, to exercise. The goal is a healthy, active community.”
The city selected the four project sites because they run along state rights-of-way, which TxDOT considers higher funding priorities.
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By late summer 2019, the city expects the state to launch three more projects with an overall price tag of $2.3 million.
Of the projects’ overall cost, the city’s share totals about $237,000, or about 7 percent, Sanchez said.
A $1.3 million project calls for 4.4 miles of sidewalks along Harrison and Tyler avenues from F Street to 77 Sunshine Strip.
Meanwhile, a $946,107 project will pave 5.29 miles of sidewalks from Wilson to Whalen roads.
As part of a $605,528 project, crews will build 5.4 miles of sidewalks from Washington Avenue to Loop 499.
The state has upgraded its standards for the construction of sidewalks, Sanchez said.
Now, the state plans to build 6-foot-wide sidewalks with six-inch reinforced concrete featuring steel rebar.
That’s “wider and more durable” than the city’s original proposal of 5-foot-wide sidewalks with four-inch concrete, he said.
G&T Paving employees work on installation of new sidewalks along Commerce and Jackson streets in Harlingen last week.
