Texas awards $102 million to support regional mitigation projects

The Texas General Land Office (GLO) will direct $102 million in awards to counties and municipalities to upgrade streets, water and sewer systems and to build community centers and shelters as the state shores up efforts to protect residents and local infrastructure from natural disasters.

The GLO will allocate the funds from the Regional Mitigation Program, an initiative that helps increase infrastructure resiliency against inclement weather. The funds will go to 16 projects spanning 14 cities and counties.

The awards include $38.5 million to Fort Bend County and $4 million to Sugar Land to address continued erosion along the Brazos River. The funds will address threats posed to hurricane evacuation bridges and roads critical to residents from nearby counties.

Another $13.6 million will go to a multi-purpose building project in Newton County that will serve as a community center and shelter during extreme weather. Located on State Highway 87, the project will also install electrical, water and sewer service. Currently in the design phase, bids for the project will kick off Aug. 15, 2024, followed by construction in mid-December 2024.

Tyler County will receive a combined $12 million to fund a pair of projects. The first will use $9.3 million to improve water and street infrastructure and purchase an emergency generator for the Colmesneil area. The second project will use $2.6 million to improve drainage.

Other awards include $15.5 million for Polk County that will go toward water facilities and improvements to streets and drainage. Kleberg County will get $5 million to build a trio of centers that provide mitigation, assistance, resiliency and recovery services.

^{Strategic Partnerships, Inc. can provide information on contract opportunities, plus existing and future government funding. For more information, contact research@spartnerships.com.}