Updates on Mission drainage projects
The City of Mission has focused on improving seven zones that require major drainage improvements. Contractors broke ground on three of those projects last fall, and their projected completion dates are right around the corner.
Projects Esperanza, Gabriel and Stewart were the first of the seven drainage projects to commence.
Gabriel, the area the city deemed with the worst flooding, has the shortest projected duration of the initial three undertakings. The zone is in the El Valle Subdivision, which sits at the lowest elevation in the city. At about 19% complete, Texas Quarry Construction has installed new reinforced concrete pipes and they should finish the $2 million project in late April. The contractor anticipated it would take them 180 days to complete the operation. However, the contract allotted 240 construction days.
The city hired Texas Quarry Construction for Project Esperanza as well. The work for Esperanza is near Inspiration Road and runs from the northwest quadrant from the Mission Lateral drainage ditch to Mile 3. The detention pond for the project has been in the making since Sept. 27, 2022, and is about 95% complete. The pond helps prevent flooding, in addition to widening ditches and installing larger reinforced concrete pipes.
Although the detention pond north of FM 495 and Mile 2 is nearly complete, as a whole, the project is still around 15% complete. With about 283 calendar days of construction, the estimated completion for the $5.4 million endeavor is Aug. 7.
Stewart also has a detention pond project that is about 97% percent complete, but overall, the drainage improvements are only 5% complete. The mayor and city council hired RG Enterprises LLC to complete the project in 210 calendar days, which they began Oct. 24 of last year. The scope of work for the $3.3 million procedure runs north of Business 83 and south of FM 495.
“It’s a dramatic increase and change in improvement to that drainage to the area,” City Manager Randy Perez said at the Feb. 13 Mission City Council meeting.
Project Stewart connects to Project Elm, which runs south of Business 83. However, that portion of the construction is an entirely separate operation that contractors have not begun.
The city is also pending a start date for the Leandro, Glasscock and Tulip projects. Leandro is in the vicinity of Inspiration Road, between FM 495 and Mile 2. Glasscock and Tulip are connected projects, both taking place on Glasscock Road. Project Glasscock is in the vicinity of business 83 and FM 495. It then turns into Project Tulip runs from FM 495 north to a drainage ditch south of the Edinburg main canal.
The city manager will continue to provide monthly updates on all the projects at the city council meetings during the city manager’s updates portion of the meeting.
BACKGROUND
In 2020, Mission conducted a drainage assessment and identified 72 areas with issues. Of the 72 areas, they deemed the seven zones — Gabriel, Esperanza, Stewart, Elm, Glasscock, Tulip, Leandro — as high priority due to how long it took water to drain after heavy rains.
