Weatherford promoters say $11.5M grant secured for northern bypass; loan proposed for design

Project finance staff told attendees that funding for the northern portion of the recommended Waco alignment has been substantially identified, while work on later phases remains under discussion.

"We do have a commitment from the North Central Texas Council of Governments and TxDOT for a grant for $11,500,000 for that project and that will go towards the construction of that," said Presenter (funding), noting the figure applies to the northern (phase 1) portion of the Waco alignment. Presenter (funding) said the conceptual cost for phase 1 is about $15,900,000 and characterized the cost estimates as preliminary.

Presenter (funding) said program discussions with NCTCOG include a proposed loan of approximately $4,400,000 from an assessment funding program to cover schematic design and right-of-way acquisition for phases 1 and 2. That combination—grant plus loan—would leave roughly $8,000,000 to address the southern portion of the project, which project staff said is the subject of ongoing conversations with regional partners.

Timeline and conditions: presenters warned that stated dates are ballpark numbers. They said schematic design, survey and environmental work are next, that the environmental process must clear before any right-of-way acquisition using state or federal funds, and that public meetings tied to the environmental review are expected in the 2020 window. Using the timeline presented, speakers said the earliest construction activity could occur in 2021 to early 2022 if environmental clearance and partner decisions proceed as expected.

Presenters emphasized these are preliminary figures and that no formal decision had been announced on the southern funding package. They invited attendees to speak with staff at the staffed tables and to leave written comments on white cards that will inform schematics, right-of-way planning and environmental documentation.