Allen approves $7.3 million for neighborhood infrastructure upgrades

Older Allen neighborhoods that have lived with cracked sidewalks, aging pipes and worn streets are finally getting a major repair push. The Allen City Council approved more than $7.3 million in infrastructure work on April 14, with projects aimed at Greengate and Oak Hill, two neighborhoods built decades ago and now in need of basic upgrades.

The Greengate project totals about $2.15 million and will replace 109 ADA-compliant ramps, 50 alley approaches and about 63% of the neighborhood’s sidewalk panels, including work along portions of Allen Heights Drive. City documents described Greengate as an early 1980s neighborhood with many broken sidewalk panels, and officials said the contract drew 18 bids before Cole Construction submitted the low bid of $1,960,575. A 10% contingency brought the project total to about $2.15 million.

The larger Oak Hill project, called the Jupiter Sanitary Sewer and Water Main project, will cost about $5.24 million and reach deeper into the neighborhood’s utility system. It calls for replacing nearly 6,000 feet of water line and about 4,000 feet of sewer line, along with roadway repairs, sidewalk reconstruction, lighting upgrades and a new neighborhood entry monument near Bethany Drive. Oak Hill dates to 1979, making it one of the older residential areas in the city’s northwestern side.

Both projects are partly funded by bonds Allen voters approved in 2023, along with utility money and city program funds. City engineering officials framed the work as part of a broader neighborhood stabilization effort meant to fight decline and bring older infrastructure up to current standards, a message likely to resonate in streets where patchwork fixes have long outlasted their useful life.

Construction is expected to begin in May 2026. Greengate should take about 180 days, with completion projected for late fall, while Oak Hill is expected to last about 231 days. During that period, residents should expect disruptions to street parking, yard access, trash pickup and mail service as crews move through different phases of the work.

The April 14 meeting also surfaced other neighborhood concerns. One resident raised complaints about pickleball court noise during public comments, underscoring how daily life in Allen’s established neighborhoods remains shaped by issues well beyond paving and pipes. Council members also noted they would consider a possible zoning change at the northwest corner of Allen Heights and Bethany drives that could allow eight single-family homes on roughly 2 acres, adding another development decision to a corridor already under pressure.