Raymondville city leaders broke ground on a $10 million dollar drainage project Thursday that's aimed at alleviating flooding in the area that was heavily affected by heavy storms in 2019.

In 2021, the Texas General Land Office awarded Raymondville a grant to cover the cost of the project.

The project will be completed in three phases. Raymondville Mayor Gilbert Gonzales says the city plans to add in bigger pipes along 6th, Wood and Washington streets.

“This project will help the rainwater recede a lot faster,” Gonzales said.

As part of the project, an 11-mile-long canal that wraps around the entire city is going to be widened to twice the current size, and dug deeper to hold more water.

The project will also add upgrades to a five-acre detention pond on the north side of the city.

All the water that is collected in the canal and detention pond will eventually go into the Raymondville drain and into the Gulf of Mexico.

The entire project is expected to be completed by the end of 2025.

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