Water and sewer lines within the Oak Hill subdivision will be replaced, Allen officials said.

Allen City Council approved a $5.2 million contract with J&L Construction for the Oak Hill neighborhood water line replacement project at an April 14 meeting.

The specifics: The project includes replacing approximately 5,785 linear feet of water lines within the Oak Hill subdivision and replacing about 3,750 linear feet of sewer lines along Jupiter Road, according to city documents. Replacing outdated materials will increase water and sewer capacity, Allen Director of Engineering Chris Flanigan said.

The project also includes:

• Removal of dead or overgrown trees between the curb and sidewalk
• Evaluation and repairs of sidewalk and roadway panels
• Installation of new solar power streetlights
• Median landscaping along Bethany Drive
• Addition of a new neighborhood sign at the intersection of Jupiter Road and Bethany Drive

Early voting starts April 20 for the local elections in Allen.

Residents will see the one opposed local race on the May 2 ballot for the mayoral election. Early voting will be held April 20-28.

What you need to know: Current Allen Mayor Baine Brooks is completing his final term in the seat and cannot run for reelection based on the city's ordinances for term limits.

Candidates for the Allen mayoral race include:

• Chris Schulmeister
• Dave Shafer

Interested in roadwork updates impacting Allen residents? Here are updates on several upcoming and ongoing construction projects in and around the city of Allen.

1. US 75 Green Ribbon project
Project: The work will provide enhancements to landscaping, erosion control, irrigation and new decorative rock to key intersections along the US 75 corridor, including Stacy Road, McDermott Drive and Bethany Drive.
Update: The project is in the final design review.

• Timeline: summer 2026-late 2026
• Cost: $1.38 million
• Funding source: city of Allen, Texas Department of Transportation

• Timeline: construction to wrap up by summer 2026
• Cost: $5.8 million
• Funding source: city of Allen, TxDOT

From new H-E-B locations in Denton to airport construction updates, check out five trending stories from Community Impact's Dallas-Fort Worth coverage areas.

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Texas is home to the nation’s fastest-growing data center market, with one January report projecting that the state will see a 142% increase in its share of the data center industry by the end of 2028.

During a wide-ranging Texas House hearing April 9, lawmakers questioned data center developers, energy companies and state grid officials about the amount of water the large facilities use; how they impact noise levels and air quality; and whether residents can expect higher costs when data centers come to their communities.

What they're saying: “Water is a really scarce resource in this state, and so we have to have a clear picture of what these facilities use on the water side,” said Thomas Gleeson, chair of the Public Utility Commission of Texas.

More details: Data centers use water to cool their computer servers and prevent overheating. The facilities have historically used a water-intensive process known as "evaporative cooling," but data center executives said April 9 that they have transitioned to “closed-loop” systems where water is continuously reused.