As Texas A&M’s president finalizes recommendations of a university wide capacity study, his chief operating officer (COO) met with reporters about a proposal to relieve above ground traffic congestion.
COO Peter Lange said a network of underground tunnels nicknamed the “Aggie Loop” could deploy as many as 60 electric vehicles to move between east and west campus, as many as 3,300 people per hour in four minutes.
Lange compared the A&M model to one in Las Vegas that transports people between that city’s convention center and connected hotels.
Lange said another idea under consideration to reduce movement between east and west campus, involves more buildings where students on west campus could take core curriculum classes, live, and eat.
The tunnel route is based on the two most heavily used on campus bus routes which are routes one and three.
The “Aggie Loop”, at 30 feet below ground, would connect the Polo Road area of campus with the memorial student center (MSC), White Creek apartments and Reed Arena.
Transit time from Polo Road to the MSC would be two minutes and the transit time from White Creek Apartments to the commons area would be completed in three minutes.
The project would also require building passenger stations above and below ground.
Funding is unknown, though it is likely that A&M would need to fund this centrally and transit resources would be allocated to improving existing routes.
While A&M’s president has not made any final decisions related to the capacity study, Mark Welsh has stated the possibility of freezing undergraduate enrollment for five years.
Click below to hear comments from Peter Lange, visiting with reporters on October 8, 2024: