More construction on the RELLIS campus is scheduled to start in September.
That’s after the Texas A&M system board of regents during its quarterly business meeting on August 1st approved spending more than $13 million dollars to extend streets and utilities south and east of the runways.
Before the regents unanimous vote, came a unanimous recommendation from the board’s building committee. But before the committee’s vote, system administrators were asked about getting financial assistance from the city of Bryan and other third party utility providers.
Regent Michael Plank of Houston said “We’ve got an awful lot going on at RELLIS. We’re gonna have an awful lot of utilities involved out there. A lot of money being invested. So the question is, what’s the benefit to the city and do we have any kind of reimbursement programs of any kind?”
The system’s chief financial officer, Billy Hamilton, says the new streets and utilities are to benefit two system agencies.
One involves keeping heavy truck traffic associated with a new Texas Department of Emergency Management building off RELLIS Parkway. And the extension will also serve a new AgriLife Research reproductive sciences building and eventually “the business end of (the) Rosenthal” meat center.
Construction is scheduled one year to complete.
The project location is Avenue D from Bryan Street to Goodson Bend Road, 7th Street from Flightline Road to Bryan Road, and Flightline Road from the Innovative Proving Grounds to the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service Training Props site.
The project scope includes new concrete roadways, site drainage, domestic water, natural gas, sanitary sewer, street lighting, electrical, and communications utilities.
In addition, a new campus entry will be constructed where Avenue D empties onto Goodson Bend Road, and a new Remote Switching Unit building will be installed near the intersection of Avenue D and 7th Street.
Click below to hear comments from the July 31, 2024 Texas A&M system board of regents building committee meeting.