In order to improve the safety of drivers, a new roadway design is under construction to address traffic issues south of campus.
The Texas Department of Transportation began reconstruction of the FM 60, or Raymond Stotzer Parkway, and FM 2818, or Harvey Mitchell Parkway, interchange this spring. The project will rebuild the entire bridge and intersections and make a Diverging Diamond Interchange, a roadway design which will allow vehicles to travel more quickly through the intersection, according to the Texas Department of Transportation. The project began on March 6 and is expected to last for 25 months.
Bobby Colwell, public information officer for the Bryan-College Station area, described the new interchange as a way to improve some of the problems commonly seen with the intersection.
“TxDOT developed this project to address both safety and congestion,” Colwell said. “The planned interchange will more efficiently handle the turning movements at this location and reduce conflict points for motorists, vehicle/bicycle and vehicle/pedestrians.”
College Station Senior Traffic Engineer Troy Rother said this project corresponds with the City of College Station’s plan to keep residents safe.
“The College Station Public Works Department looks forward to the completion of this project and the safety improvements it will provide,” Rother said. “The Diverging Diamond Interchange will more safely and efficiently move traffic in and out of the daytime equivalent of the fourth-largest downtown area in Texas. This is an important safety improvement because at intersections, right-angle crashes are the kind that tend to result in serious injuries and fatalities. This will provide a quality route for pedestrians wanting to cross FM 2818, or bicyclists traveling between the Texas A&M Health Science Center and the main campus.”
Although the construction is supposed to help travelers in the long run, students like biomedical science sophomore Anthony Fadayomi are not too happy with the delays. Fadayomi lives off campus and feels the construction will cause more of a delay in the mornings when traveling to the university.
”It’s definitely going to be more of hassle to get to school now, like I used to be able to wake up at 7:15 a.m. but now I have to wake up at 6:45 a.m.,” Fadayomi said. “Also, they take years finish one road, then as soon as they’re done with that road they go and work on another road.”
Associate Vice President of Texas A&M Transportation Services Peter Lange said there are many alternative routes to take with the 25-month construction taking place.
“The rebuilding of the intersection will be an ongoing construction zone. There are not any bus routes that go over to that intersection, which is good,” Lange said. “George Bush and Wellborn are good alternative routes to get to campus and you can use Health Science Center Parkway to get to West Campus. Once this project is finished, the roads should be way more safe. All detours can be found on the Texas A&M Transportation Services website.”
