A 20-mile stretch of Highway 21 between Bryan and Madisonville is undergoing a significant transformation as the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) works to widen the road from two lanes to four.
The project aims to reduce traffic congestion and prepare for population growth in the area, according to TxDOT officials.
"We have more and more people that are coming to Texas each day and so we have more and more traffic and so we have to find a place to put them," TxDOT Public Information Officer, Bob Colwell said.
For longtime residents like James May of North Zulch, the expansion represents a dramatic change from the quiet road he remembers from his childhood.
"When I was a child, 10...12 years old, I could walk from 4 miles out of town to North Zulch and maybe see one car. It was safe then," May said.
May believes the expansion is necessary for safety reasons.
"This is crowded and dangerous to turn off Highway 21 into North Zulch. Or pull out getting on the highway. It's just, it's a dangerous spot."
While many residents welcome the improvements, some are concerned about the disruption the construction will cause to their daily commutes.
"I don't have any problem with the construction project at all. I think it will be great, but, you know, it's very much gonna disrupt getting back and forth in a timely manner," North Zulch resident, Tom Peck said.
Peck expressed uncertainty about potential delays during the construction phase.
"We won't know until we're in the middle of it going, why have I been sitting here for 25 minutes at 6 o'clock in the morning."
TxDOT expects to complete the Highway 21 expansion project by summer 2030.
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