The Arlington City Council approved various departments to begin work on $175 million worth of infrastructure upgrades to water treatment plants, libraries, airport and public safety.
About $12 million worth of improvements and expansions are coming to the Arlington Municipal Airport ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Ethan Klos, Arlington’s city treasurer, told KERA that $8 million will be used to expand the west side of the airport, allowing more planes to be stored and parked. The other $4 million will build out a connection from the west side of the airport to the adjacent neighborhood.
Klos said the goal is for the upgrades to be completed before the FIFA World Cup starts next summer.
Arlington took over operations of the airport back in January 2024 and plans to invest a total of $68.5 million into the airport.
North Police Substation
Nearly $6 million will go to construction of the long-awaited North Police Substation on East Lamar Boulevard, which was first approved by voters in 2018.
The current plan is for the location to hold officers and an evidence storage facility, but plans have shifted over the years, Sgt. Alex Rosado, the public information officer for Arlington Police Department, said.
“What that looks like at the end of the day? I really don't know yet because I feel like it's changed so many times,” Rosado said.
Water Treatment Plant upgrades
The city is investing over $44 million into water treatment upgrades this year, which is about $35 million more than 2026 and 2027 combined.
That's mainly because the city is making major upgrades to the Pierce-Burch Water Treatment Plant, which is one of two water treatment plants in Arlington. Those upgrades should finish this fall for the 53-year-old facility.
The improvements are part of a larger effort by the city to upgrade and maintain the aging water infrastructure of the city. Last year, the John F. Kubala Water Treatment Plant, built in 1989, finished a $12.3 million upgrade to increase its water testing laboratory, according to the Fort Worth Report.
Library renovations
Libraries will be getting $2.4 million in upgrades with the Ron Wright L.A. branch getting $1.5 million of that. The Southeast, Southwest and Woodland West branches will be receiving the rest of the funding. The bulk of the funding is going toward renovating the buildings, parking lots and security systems.
Future budgets
The preliminary investment budgets for 2026, 2027 and 2028 show spending increasing to around $200 million a year before dropping to about $150 million in 2029.
Correction: The story has been updated to indicate the City of Arlington took over operations of the airport in 2024.
Dylan Duke is KERA's summer 2025 SPJ news intern. Got a tip? Email Dylan Duke at dduke@kera.org.
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