A major drainage project in Mission is nearing completion, and as crews near the finish line they're finding ways to build on that project.

The La Cuchilla Drainage Project started as a $1 million project. City leaders say they were able to cut that cost in half.

With the money they are saving, they're adding some last-minute improvements.

The La Cuchilla project was funded through a state grant and the city of Mission was awarded $1 million.

After bidding the project out, the lowest contractor came in at about half that cost, leaving roughly half a million dollars on the table, which they can't use for any other projects.

The city says these additions are a way to use the remaining money to add safety upgrades, since the money cannot be used for any other project.

"We tried to sit down with the contractor and with the engineer to do a feasibility engineering study to see how else we could stay within the limit and scope of work to improve the system, but that was the most that we could get out of that," Mission Co-Interim City Manager Juan Pablo Terrazas said.

The final total project cost sits at around $560,000. The city says this project will help reduce flooding for nearly 2,500 families in the area that have dealt with drainage issues for years.

Even with the new additions, city officials say the project should wrap up by the end of May.

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