The Bryan-College Station Metropolitan Planning Organization met with residents at its Nov. 10 public meeting to discuss and gather feedback on potential construction projects on University Drive and South College Avenue, including a $200 million crossing. (Courtesy of the Bryan-College Station Metropolitan Planning Organization)
The Bryan-College Station Metropolitan Planning Organization met with residents at Legends Event Center on Nov. 10 to discuss and gather feedback on potential construction projects on University Drive and South College Avenue, including a $200 million crossing.
What you need to know
According to meeting materials, the project began in February, with analysis of existing conditions and goals starting in April. The MPO conducted a second meeting in June, where it discussed alternatives and evaluated the current designs, along with creating renderings ahead of upcoming meetings.
The overall goals are for South College to be a complete roadway where bicyclists and drivers can feel safe. MPO Executive Director Daniel Rudge told Community Impact that a project steering committee has been guiding the projects, with ideas vetted through business owners and various residents.
“Based on the input we received, we developed renderings for both South College and University,” Rudge said. “We received more feedback from the committee and they told us to bring it to the public, which is what we’re doing tonight.”
Rendering of the potential Century Ct/Polo Rd/Century Square Dr (At-Grade Crossing)Courtesy of the Bryan-College Station Metropolitan Planning Organization
Zooming in
Rudge said micromobility was a priority for the University Drive project, along with taking a look at new developments to see how many pedestrians cross the streets in the area.
“The number of people crossing in that area is pretty high, so we’re taking into consideration if students will use it,” Rudge said. “Some people believe they would be interested in the shortest distance to get across University Drive, but we believe if we had one more centrally located, the ability to cross without looking up from their phones would be more appealing.”
The distribution of projects and funding is something Rudge said is a concern, with the public input serving as a way to gauge which projects residents of Bryan and College Station are interested in.
“We went to the committee and said, ‘let’s say you have a $200 million budget, you can do the Boyett to College Main [streets] covered and have one project, or you can do up to four other projects,’” Rudge said. “It changed people’s thinking a little bit when considering the cost of their preferred alternative versus the ability to get more crossings.”
What’s next
Rudge said construction, if approved, wouldn’t start for at least four years because the MPO wouldn’t want to have any conflicting projects on University Drive or South College Avenue. The next meeting for recommendations is scheduled for Jan. 21.
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