Cibolo council backs UPRR submittal and TxDOT grant pursuit for pedestrian bridge and Main Street sidewalks

The Cibolo City Council authorized the city manager to submit a public project application to Union Pacific Railroad and to pursue TxDOT funding through the off-system rail grade separation program created by Senate Bill 15 55. Staff said an initial opinion of probable construction cost for a pedestrian bridge crossing the railroad and Loop 539 is about $1.5 million; the city’s local match would be roughly 10% of that cost (about $150,000) if the grant advances.

City staff explained the UPRR reimbursement agreement will only initiate design review by Union Pacific; if UPRR determines signals or crossing arms must be upgraded, costs may increase and staff will return to council with updated estimates. The pedestrian bridge application is intended to remove a long-standing rail barrier and provide a safe, grade-separated route for families, students and cyclists and to accelerate the Town Creek Trail project that currently holds a $1.7 million MPO-funded advance funding agreement for related work.

Council members asked whether the new grant pursuit could imperil existing MPO funding; staff said the approved advance funding agreement for the trail remains contractually in place and that the new TxDOT program and the existing MPO funding can be pursued in parallel. The council approved resolutions supporting the pedestrian bridge and the FM 78/Country Lane grade separation project and voted to authorize staff to enter the UPRR reimbursement agreement to begin design evaluation.