Page 25 - CityofArlingtonFY26AdoptedBudget

Business Plan

The Department of Public Works is comprised of the following divisions: Business Services, Construction Services,
Engineering Operations, Environmental Management, Floodplain Management, Information Services, Operations Support,
Stormwater Engineering, Stormwater Operations, Street Maintenance, Traffic Engineering, and Traffic Operations. These
divisions function together to design, build, and maintain street and drainage infrastructure and are responsible for mobility
optimization through traffic engineering and technological innovation, and provision of signals, streetlights, and regulatory signs
and markings. Public Works staff are also responsible for the quality of surface water in the City of Arlington by inspecting private
construction activities, municipal and industrial facilities that have the potential to impact surface water quality, and enforcement
of local, state, and federal water quality and environmental regulations.

In support of City Council’s priorities to Enhance Mobility and Strengthen Our Communities, the department’s Capital
Improvement and Street Maintenance Programs are responsible for the infrastructure improvements and the maintenance of a
roadway network of over 3,000 lane miles, 23,691 streetlights, 45,070 roadway signs, and 4,249,185 linear feet of roadway
pavement markings. Through the efforts of the capital improvement and street maintenance programs, approximately 80 percent
of the City’s roadways have a satisfactory or better condition rating.
This past year, the Field Operations group provided emergency operations support in response to the winter storm events.
Crews and support staff worked multiple twelve-hour shifts applying salt brine, sand, and ice chat to City streets and bridge
decks. During these events, employees from six of the department’s divisions worked together to overcome staffing level
challenges to successfully service the primary and secondary roadway locations as well as responding to emergency calls from
the public, Arlington Fire Department, and Arlington Police Department.
During FY 2025, the department completed construction of several capital
improvement roadway projects valued at $30 million. Among the projects
completed is Sublett Road Project between West City Limits to Joplin
Road. Sublett Road was rebuilt to a three-lane roadway, including storm
drainage improvements, streetlights, pavement markings, street signs,
sidewalks, bike lanes, fiber optic conduit, and a bridge over a tributary of
Rush Creek. Completion of this project provides the full buildout of this
segment of Sublett Road as established in the City’s Thoroughfare
Development Plan.

The Stormwater Engineering group continued the implementation of the Comprehensive Stormwater Plan approved in FY 2021.
New project areas continue to be evaluated to ensure that the comprehensive plan continues to meet the needs of the
community. During FY 2025, the stormwater Division completed construction of several capital improvements for flood
mitigation, erosion mitigation, and maintenance projects valued at $33 million, including the first phase of the California Lane
Drainage Improvements project. The California Lane Drainage Improvements project has so far resulted in 8,150 linear feet of
new storm drain and an upgraded detention and retention facility in California Lane Park that will reduce flooding risk for at least
52 homes. Once phase 2 is constructed, over 60 homes will be protected from flooding. Other project priorities in FY 2025
included dredging and maintenance in Johnson Creek and significant stormwater system maintenance activities at over 15 other
sites around the City.

The Floodplain Management team continued work to mitigate flood-prone structures through the City’s Voluntary Flood
Mitigation Buyout Program. Through the program, the City successfully acquired another flood-prone structure identified as a
buyout property in watershed studies developed by the City, further reducing the number of repetitive flood loss structures.
Demolition of these structures allows the City to restore open space in Special Flood Hazard Areas and provide additional
floodwater storage in each watershed. The group also submitted the Lynn Creek watershed study to the Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA) for their review to update regulatory floodplain maps. In FY 2026, the City anticipates the Lynn
Creek and Bowman Branch watershed studies to become effective and provide residents more accurate information about flood
risks in the areas near these streams.

FY 2026 Proposed Budget and Business Plan 19 City of Arlington, Texas