The Town of Gilbert has found 96 potential transportation projects without funding sources in place.
This comes as the projects funded by the Town’s 2021 $515M transportation bond are in the process of leaving the design phase and entering the construction phase.
The additional 96 projects reflect $1.3B in necessary funding. Projects range from road widening and intersection improvements to street rehabilitation.
The Town also said inflation and increasing construction costs have continued to make maintenance increasingly difficult, let alone expansion projects.
The current funding program consists of 41 projects. Typically, once these projects move into the construction phase, spending increases very quickly.
The General Obligation bonds are expected to be completely tied into projects by 2028. Town staff also noted Gilbert often has large gaps of time between funding packages, which can delay construction, increase project costs and create backlogs.
To combat this, Town staff proposed the Public Works Advisory Board create a list of priority projects, consider funding opportunities and explore additional methods for procuring federal grant opportunities.
Gilbert differs from other cities in the area in that it relies nearly entirely on voter-approved bonds for infrastructure projects. In contrast, many other cities utilize both bonds and dedicated transportation taxes. (Source)