MCALLEN – A transportation planning and developing program in Hidalgo County listed upcoming road construction projects for the year.

The Hidalgo County Metropolitan Planning Organization is currently working on two lists, their four-year plan and 25-year plan.

Both list the road constructions planned for Hidalgo County in the upcoming years. The city of McAllen is where one of those projects is already underway.

Hidalgo County Metropolitan Planning Organization executive director Andrew Canon said a number of important projects will benefit Valley drivers once they’re complete.

“Most of them are added capacity, new lanes on the roadways that already exist and some new projects,” he said.

Canon said the project along Bicentennial Blvd. will change the way it connects with Expressway 83, making it easier for drivers. However, McAllen resident Irma Alvarado said the construction will be tough to avoid.

“We’re going to have to get up really early in the morning and try to find a way around. We already cut going through McColl,” she said.

Canon said the project to expand the Pharr/Edinburg interchange along Highway 281 into five lanes was also long overdue. He said widening Owassa Road will help drivers navigate through what’s become a busy business district.

“The neat thing about our plan - whereas other government programs don’t necessarily work the same – is it’s financially constrained,” he said. “We’re not allowed to plan for any more projects than money that we actually expect to come in.”

Canon said each project gets funded by tax dollars. He said it’s important for the public to share their input on how that money is spent. He said they’re open to discuss any addition residents might request.

Link: 2015-2040 Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP)