Motorists caught in even longer backups on University Drive between Texas and College are urged to plan for the extended delays while construction continues.
The TxDOT district office in Bryan is in charge of the million dollar project where a new center median is being built on University between Texas and Tarrow.
TxDOT spokesman Bob Colwell says weather permitting, full time lane closures will continue another two and a half weeks. That will be followed by daytime lane closures.
Asked about doing construction at night, Colwell says “Night work costs more and a lot of times we are not able to achieve the quality of workmanship that we would get during the day.”
Colwell also stated “This project was a joint partnership with the City of College Station and it was determined that its scope does not justify the increased cost and safety risks of a 24 hour operation or nighttime-only operations.”
“The inside lanes are currently being worked on from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. so that construction vehicles are not impeding the traffic flow during peak rush hours. This is the typical time frame that has been used on similar and recent projects.”
“While we understand that this is a busy part of town and any roadwork done causes inconveniences to the traveling public, this project is a relatively small area and duration. As work is progressing, we ask that citizens be patient, plan ahead, and consider alternate routes if necessary.”
Colwell also stated “Bottom line is a little pain for a lot of gain for next couple of weeks.”
College Station traffic engineer Troy Rother recommends against attempting detours through residential neighborhoods, due to the number of intersections with stop signs.
Rother also says adjusting traffic signals would make things worse, because the construction traffic is different than addressing higher volumes associated with Texas A&M home football games.
Click below for comments from Troy Rother, visiting with WTAW’s Bill Oliver:
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