Infrastructure
Public infrastructure is one of the most overlooked areas of a city because a lot of it is buried. It is also one of the most important aspects of any city because it allows residents and businesses to function with ease. Good infrastructure contributes to a high quality of living and facilitates the growth of business. Meanwhile, poor infrastructure not only lowers a city's quality of living, it can cause residents and businesses to relocate.
The infrastructure in the East McKinney Redevelopment and Preservation (EMRP) area is among the oldest in McKinney and needs repair or rehabilitation to continue to support residents and businesses.
Find out about the different infrastructure projects needed in this area.
Water Mains
These large-scale pipes bring water from city sources into neighborhoods. Residential water lines branch off of water mains and pass through a meter before entering a home or business.
- Over time, these lines can develop cracks, causing water to leak out of the pipes and drive up utility rates for all city water customers.
- Another reason to replace water mains is that a neighborhood may have grown past initial service population expectations. Undersized water mains can result in low water pressure.
Replacing or repairing water mains leads to a more efficient water delivery system and helps to protect the quality of the water delivered to homes and businesses.
Wastewater Mains
Also known as sanitary sewer lines, wastewater mains are large pipes that direct any water from your home's drains or toilets (wastewater) to a wastewater treatment facility where the wastewater is cleaned before being released back into local waterways.
- Wastewater lines do not have a constant flow of water through them, rather, they experience flow only when your drains are in use. Because of this, wastewater mains can become clogged with fats, oils and grease, or other things that have been inappropriately flushed down a toilet. Clogs can result in sewer backups or overflows which can be costly to repair and potentially hazardous to the environment.
- Over time, cracks or leaks may also develop within a wastewater main resulting in potentially hazardous situations.
- Another reason to replace wastewater mains is that a neighborhood may have grown past initial service population expectations. Undersized wastewater mains can result in sewer backups or overflows which can be costly to repair and potentially hazardous to the environment.
Stormwater Mains
Stormwater refers to any water that falls to the ground and travels to local waterways. In the past, McKinney allowed stormwater to flow through drainage ditches, or swales. Allowing stormwater to enter local waterways in this manner can cause streets to flood and traffic to be disrupted. As a result, McKinney is moving away from this type of stormwater management and to an underground system, rapidly diverting water away from streets.
- Stormwater systems should not be combined with wastewater (sewer) mains as they may reach capacity during rainfall events and potentially overflow resulting in potentially hazardous situations.
Road / Street Construction
Roads are built in a series of layers to ensure that they have the proper slope for water diversion, flexibility to withstand minor shifts in the soil below and are strong enough to withstand the weight of traffic. While designed to withstand great pressures and last a long time, they do have a limited lifespan after which they must be replaced in order to ensure continued vehicle safety.