Alton city leaders approved a $5 million loan to pay for several projects.

City leaders said they will use property taxes to pay back the loan.

Among the projects being paid for is one to widen 5-Mile Line and Alton Boulevard as part of a joint project with the Texas Department of Transportation.

“We have utilities that need to be moved out of the way so that road construction can continue,” Alton City Manager Jeff Underwood said. “Really the only way for us to expedite that is to borrow some money to get that taken care of. When you have a growing city like we do, the tax dollars are just not going to keep up with the growth at least at the onset."

The money will also be used to pave several major roads, such as Stewart, Bryan and Glasscock.