City of Killeen is Looking for Ways to Raise $100 Million for Road Repairs

The cost to repair the roads in Killeen continues to rise, and the city is looking for ways to get it paid for.

According to an article from KCEN, $5.8 million had already been approved by the city for repairs following the February winter storm, but some city council members say more repairs are needed. So, officials are now looking at a $100 million bond to cover the costs.

The executive director of public works for Killeen, Jeff Reynolds told KCEN, "We’re looking at possibly going out and getting bonds to fix the roads, it wouldn’t be a complete $100 million bond most likely at one time, but that’s how much it’s going to cost to fix all the roads, you’re talking about rebuilding certain roads and actually going in and providing a proper level of maintenance to other roads that need to be corrected."

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Reynolds believes that better roads could also attract both new businesses and residents saying, "I think that if you’ve got roads that people can traverse to get to one side of the city to the other easily, it’s always going to be attractive to businesses as well as people moving in for residential purposes.”

So how to get it paid for remains the question. The $100 million bond is one way, and city council members will be discussing that. A bond that size would also require voter approval, and the next election isn't 'til November. Even if Killeen City Council approves the bond request, and voter agree, it likely won't be 'til early next year that work would begin on the roads.

With the temperatures rising so quickly as we ease into summer, it's almost hard to imagine how freezing cold it felt when the winter storm paralyzed our state. Those memories will never leave us, though. People lost their lives in the cold and the dark, and the cost of the damages to our state is in the billions. Many people are still working to recover.

These potholes are more than just an annoyance on our commute. They're a lingering reminder of how hard we were hit, the institutional failures that left us without power and water, and the unpredictability of nature.

That said, Texans are made of stern stuff, and we'll be stronger after this. We always are.