Drainage construction to begin in Mission

Six months of construction will soon begin on three high-priority drainage projects within the city of Mission. 

In 2020, the city conducted a drainage assessment that identified 72 problem areas. Of those 72 problem areas, they deemed seven as high priority based on the amount of time it takes water to drain after rainfall. Of those seven high-priority areas, three projects are moving on to the construction phase. The high-priority jobs are as follows: 

• Project Stewart A
• Project Gabriel
• Project Glasscock
• Project Esperanza
• Project Leandro
• Project Elm
• Project Tulip

On July 11, Mission City Council awarded the construction bids for projects Esperanza, Gabriel and Stewart A. Texas Quarry Construction LLC will be the contractors for Esperanza and Gabriel, and RG Enterprises (G&G Contractors) will do the construction for Stewart A. 

“We’re excited to get started,” Mayor Norie Gonzalez Garza said.

Project Esperanza is in the vicinity of Inspiration Road, which runs from the northwest quadrant from the Mission Lateral drainage ditch to Mile 3. The city received five bids on the project but ultimately awarded Texas Quarry Construction because they were the lowest responsible bidder meeting all specifications. The estimated cost for Esperanza came in at $5,411,430. 

Project Gabriel falls in an area with the worst flooding, according to Assistant City Manager JP Terrazas, formerly the city engineer. Gabriel also falls in the vicinity of Inspiration Road. But the El Valle Subdivision specifically experiences the most flooding because it is adjacent to the Mission Lateral drainage ditch, which sits at the lowest point in Mission. 

Out of three bids, the city awarded Texas Quarry Construction with the contract for Project Gabriel because they were the lowest responsible bidder meeting all specifications. The estimated project cost is $2,084,252. 

Project Stewart A runs from Crown Pointe Blvd north to FM 495. The city awarded RG Enterprises the contract because they were the lowest responsible bidder meeting all specifications out of three bid responses. RG Enterprises is also currently contracted with Mission CISD to complete the home side repairs at Tom Landry Hall of Fame Stadium. The estimated cost for Stewart A is $3,323,780.34, which is over the budget by about $1 million. 

“This is one of the most critical projects as well so we are looking at alternative funding that we have available to cover the overage,” City Manager Randy Perez said. 

For all three drainage projects, the city is over budget by about $1.9 million. City Engineer Abel Bocanegra said the overage is due to the continuous rise in material costs — a nationwide problem. In a June 2021 interview, Perez said funding for the drainage projects will come from various sources, including the local drainage fund, the 2021 bond, the American Rescue Plan and leftover funds from the 2018 bond. 

The contracts state the projects will take about six months to complete. Bocanegra said residents and passersby in those areas should expect some road closures or lane closures, but they will do their best to avoid completely closing the roads. If road closures are necessary, he said they will give residents notice beforehand. 

As for the other four projects, they are not too far behind. The city engineer said they are working on ironing out some details before moving forward with the construction phase. 

“I’m confident that after these projects are done, we’ll hopefully keep all of our residents happy and out of flood-prone areas,” Bocanegra said. “We’re just trying to do our part to make sure we do what’s best for the city and its residents.”