Motorists going through the FM 2818/FM 60 interchange near Easterwood Airport will have to find an alternate route Wednesday through Saturday.
The TxDOT Bryan district office reports the interchange will be closed the first four days of August.
That’s in order for construction crews to complete the work required to switch traffic into the new diverging diamond interchange configuration.
Thru traffic on FM 2818 will continue, but traffic on FM 60 will go through a detour.
Additional information from the TxDOT Bryan district office:
The contractor will begin closing FM 60 at around 9:00 AM on Wednesday, August 1st.
The roadway will be reopened to the new configuration on Saturday, August 4th.
The Texas Department of Transportation’s (TxDOT) contractor will close the ramps from FM 2818, the eastbound Turkey Creek Road exit to Easterwood Airport and the ramp from SH 47 onto FM 60.
All through traffic on FM 60 will then be detoured.
Traffic will not be allowed across the FM 60 overpass over FM 2818, but the FM 2818 lanes will remain open.
Detours will be provided for traffic needing to get to or from FM 60 using SH 47 and Villa Maria.
Westbound traffic on FM 60 coming from the University will be forced to turn around at Research Park and use another route. Eastbound traffic going toward the University will exit at Turkey Creek Road.
This full closure will allow for faster and safer restriping to the new traffic configuration and the addition of signage and temporary signals for the intersections on each end of the interchange.
The new diverging diamond interchange (DDI) traffic pattern will be completed before the students return to the A&M Campus in mid-August and also create a safer transition from the existing traffic pattern to the new interchange pattern.
The new roadway will have temporary cones, barrels and signs to lead drivers through the new traffic paths. The DDI uses a unique crossover design at each end of the FM 60 overpass to reduce traffic conflicts and improve the intersection operation.
TxDOT asks that all drivers be aware and pay attention to the closure and forced traffic exits for the safety of drivers and workers. Drivers on FM 60 must use other routes during this closure.
Once traffic is opened to the new DDI traffic pattern, the contractor will continue construction in the FM 60 median, the permanent traffic signals, highway lighting, and the pedestrian and aesthetic improvements to the interchange.
The new DDI (diverging diamond interchange) is only the fourth in the State of Texas. The $14.1 million dollar project is expected to be complete in the Spring of 2019.
A video simulation of a very similar interchange that was constructed in North Carolina can be found at the following link. Although this simulation was developed for a different location, it gives a very good representation of how the College Station DDI will operate as well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HD-0QnUlLOQ
More information about the project can be found on the TxDOT website at: http://www.txdot.gov/inside-txdot/projects/studies/bryan/fm60.html
