In the past 20 years, high rises have infiltrated Bryan-College Station as students and residents have flooded in, resulting in increased traffic flow with negative downstream effects for roads with limited capacity. 

In recent City Council meetings, street projects have been discussed to improve traffic infrastructure with plans to accommodate motorists and pedestrians alike. 

“Ultimately, our goal is to provide safe and efficient traffic,” Jason Schubert, the transportation planning administrator for the city of College Station, said. 

Achieving such a goal comes with recognizing the city’s historical traffic infrastructure. Established in 1938, College Station did not originally accommodate pedestrians and bicyclists. Now, traffic projects have concentrated their focus on appealing to other popular modes of transport. 

“A big part of what we’re doing is retrofitting the core of the city,” Schubert said. 

He said some parts of the city — mainly Northgate and Century Square — are increasingly reminiscent of America’s most urban cities, a characteristic which places unique constraints on traffic development planning. 

Although some projects may seem small in scope, such as plans to separate cars and bicycle lanes with physical barriers along George Bush Drive, others have more unconventional approaches with efficiency in mind. 

“Some of the major intersections have been changed to what can be described as innovative or alternative designs,” Schubert said. 

With pedestrians and fewer traffic stops in mind, changes on Lincoln Avenue will include a  10-foot path to be shared by pedestrians and bicyclists. Additionally, roundabouts will replace stop signs on the intersection of Lincoln Avenue and Nimitz, as well as Lincoln Avenue and Munson. Although the miniature roundabouts will slow oncoming traffic, they will increase traffic flow as vehicles will not need to stop and non-motorized users should have a more defined path of transportation. 

Nevertheless, the addition of roundabouts represents an increasing trend in the use of the European-style intersections in College Station. 

Along with a short overpass extension on Harvey Mitchell Parkway South, a five-way roundabout is set to be established on Jones Butler Road. Announced in mid-2022, the project replaces the four-way stop on Holleman Drive South and North Dowling Road.  

Expected to be completed by 2028, the $16 million project will allocate half of its budget to the relocation of utility lines below the future development. 

“Basically, you’ll be able to go North and South without having to cross the railroad at all,” Schubert said. “You can go up Holleman S. and then jump over to the Jones Butler connection and go directly into campus.”

Though the most intensive traffic projects include complete redesigns of intersections, they are necessary to maintain the city’s traffic quality.

Reconstruction of Marion Pugh from Holleman to George Bush Dr. will change the existing asphalt to concrete. Francis Drive, which stretches from Texas Avenue to Walton, will undergo a similar process. 

The city’s long-term projected growth will lead to more cars on the road, contributing to plans to manage average traffic flow. Yet these changes are strategic, occurring step by step to foster an efficient traffic network across College Station. 

“Construction projects aren’t fun for anybody,” Schubert said. 

Each road is significant to College Station, and small changes seek to achieve an overarching goal of decreasing the number of stops vehicles have to make.

Nonetheless, Schubert affirms that the building of an overall network is “the most substantial change,” and each project works to supplement efforts in effectively accommodating residents in getting from one place to another.