BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KRHD) — Construction is set to begin in December on State Highway 6 in Bryan-College Station to widen it to three lanes in both directions, a project that neighbors tell 15 ABC is needed in the community.
"It's time for us to expand," said Bob Colwell, Public Information Officer for the Texas Department of Transportation, or TxDOT.
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Thousands travel daily on State Highway 6 in Bryan-College Station.
"It will really, I think alleviate a lot of the problems here," said Johnny Bond, a lifelong Bryan resident.
The stretch of roadway in Bryan-College Station includes many of our neighbors among its users.
"We did a study and over 50%, 53% of the trips were less than 2 miles…So improving the mobility on this corridor is critical for our community, and it also helps the entire state from all the traffic that comes through it," said Blake Knox, Construction Office Project Manager for TxDOT.
15 ABC talked with TxDOT and Fluor Heavy Civil, who will be teaming up to expand this roughly 12-mile stretch of Highway 6 to six lanes from State Highway 21 to State Highway 40.
15 ABC asked about the significance of this undertaking.
"This is the largest and most expensive project that the Bryan District has ever done," Knox said.
The project includes other elements — including a 10-foot shared-use path for bicyclists and pedestrians on both sides and work on the frontage road.
"If you're on the frontage road and you don't want to hit the, the cross street light, right, say Harvey Road or wherever, you can take this other path and miss it and then take your turn where you want to take it at the next one, so it will improve mobility at that cross street as well as the next," said Karl Niedzwecki, Project Director for Fluor Heavy Civil.
15 ABC also discussed the project with a couple of Bryan residents.
"5 o'clock in the afternoon it's bumper to bumper on the bypass out there, and we're probably about 20 years behind," Bond said.
"Probably it's been a need because since I've been back here...It's always backed up when I go to Sam's Club or something like that," said Wade Bynum, a Bryan resident.
As the project begins later this year, limiting construction impacts on drivers is also a focus.
“The goal is to keep those two main lanes open for most of the project and then as we do any traffic control switches or the intersections, we're gonna be updating our website and social media to make sure that we're keeping the public informed," Knox said.
The project is expected to take four to five years to complete. For more information about the construction, you can find TxDOT's breakdown by clicking here.
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