College Station's future Harvey Road widening plan calls for four lanes, roundabouts

A proposed plan to widen Harvey Road in College Station would expand State Hwy. 30 to four lanes and add roundabouts at major intersections, but construction funding has not yet been secured.

In an open house information session on Oct. 20, the Texas Department of Transportation’s Bryan District laid out its development of the “SH 30 (Harvey Road) Corridor Plan” in coordination with Brazos County, the city of College Station and the Bryan-College Station Metropolitan Planning Organization.

About the project

The plan covers roughly 2.1 miles of Harvey Road, from Associates Avenue to FM 158, and is intended to address congestion, improve roadway safety and provide better connections for pedestrians and bicyclists as the area grows.

Although TxDOT has identified a preferred design, construction is currently unfunded, meaning a construction start date has not been established. Bryan TxDOT told Community Impact construction could be years away.

Major takeaways

Under the chosen alternative, Harvey Road would expand from its existing two-lane layout to a four-lane roadway, with two travel lanes in each direction.

The proposed design also includes a narrow, raised median roughly four feet wide, roundabouts at major intersections and a 10-foot-wide shared-use path for pedestrians and bicyclists.

According to project materials, the plan is designed to improve traffic flow, reduce travel times and upgrade the roadway to current design standards.

The shared-use path would provide additional connectivity along the corridor, particularly for people traveling to Veterans Park.

TxDOT’s materials suggest the selected alternative would require additional right of way but would not displace buildings.

How we got here

The corridor plan comes as Brazos County anticipates continued population growth and increased demand on its roads.

According to Texas Demographic Center, Brazos County’s population is projected to grow 30% from 2020 to 2040, followed by an additional 26% increase from 2040 to 2060.

Traffic along Harvey Road is also expected to increase. A traffic study cited by TxDOT projects average daily traffic to rise approximately 60% between 2022 and 2052.

Safety is another focus. The corridor recorded 57 crashes from 2019 through 2023, including one fatal crash. About 39% of those crashes were intersection-related.

The proposed roundabouts are intended to reduce the number of points where vehicles can collide and lessen the severity of crashes. TxDOT also cited raised medians as a potential safety improvement because they can limit turning movements that contribute to serious intersection crashes.

TxDOT materials said raised medians have shown a national decrease in crashes by 30%. Meanwhile, local crashes on Texas Avenue and University Drive have been reduced by up to 65%.

Next steps

Despite the selection of a preferred alternative, the project does not currently have construction funding.

The corridor plan is being developed under the 2022 Brazos County Transportation Road Improvement Program and in coordination with member agencies of the Bryan-College Station Metropolitan Planning Organization.

Director of Transportation, Planning and Development for TxDOT's Bryan District Doug Marino told Community Impact the plan could be considered for future transportation funding, but its priority and schedule remain uncertain.

Before construction can proceed, funding will have to be identified and the project needs to advance through planning and implementation processes.

Because funding has not been secured, Marino said TxDOT has not established a confirmed construction start date or completion date.

He said the next time the project will be up for considered priority will be in up to four years from now.