Radical Ideas for College Station's Main Drag

[kernals12]

This concept study came out back in 2018 and I think has not gotten the attention it deserves. It covers a 6 mile section of Stotzer Parkway/University Drive from Easterwood Access Road to Boonville Road. And what is suggested is very exciting.

Agronomy Road

South Texas Avenue

What they recommend is grade separating pedestrians and cyclists from motor vehicles at Research Boulevard, Discovery Drive, Large Animal Clinic, Agronomy Road, Wellborn Road, Century Square, and South Texas Avenue through the use of either tunnels or overpasses. This would make walking and biking much easier and safer.

Even cooler is what they recommend for the area between Boyett Street and South College Avenue


Boyett Street

South College Avenue

What they recommend is building a 4 lane tunnel to be used by Through Traffic while the existing street is reserved for local traffic and given widened sidewalks, bike lanes, and more crosswalks.

As I've sure you guessed, this would be very, very expensive. They estimate it would cost between $560 million and $710 million, most of the cost is for the tunnel. But they've already given a similar treatment to the Wellborn Road-Old Main Drive intersection, so maybe they could find the money for this. And even if they don't, I commend them for thinking outside the box and coming up with an idea to make the streets better for drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists alike.

[The Ghostbuster]

I've never seen a proposal like this before. While this proposal could possibly be constructed, what's to stop it from becoming a boondoggle (given its price tag) and an eyesore? Surely there are cheaper, less intrusive ways to improve bicycle/pedestrian travel without going all out on proposals like this.

[kernals12]

I've never seen a proposal like this before. While this proposal could possibly be constructed, what's to stop it from becoming a boondoggle (given its price tag) and an eyesore? Surely there are cheaper, less intrusive ways to improve bicycle/pedestrian travel without going all out on proposals like this.

I don't know how you could call this an eyesore.

[Max Rockatansky]

I've never seen a proposal like this before. While this proposal could possibly be constructed, what's to stop it from becoming a boondoggle (given its price tag) and an eyesore? Surely there are cheaper, less intrusive ways to improve bicycle/pedestrian travel without going all out on proposals like this.

I don't know how you could call this an eyesore.

It's kind of Orwellian looking, at least that's what I think.

[kernals12]

I've never seen a proposal like this before. While this proposal could possibly be constructed, what's to stop it from becoming a boondoggle (given its price tag) and an eyesore? Surely there are cheaper, less intrusive ways to improve bicycle/pedestrian travel without going all out on proposals like this.

I don't know how you could call this an eyesore.

It's kind of Orwellian looking, at least that's what I think.

What's Orwellian Looking? I posted 4 different photos.

[Max Rockatansky]

I've never seen a proposal like this before. While this proposal could possibly be constructed, what's to stop it from becoming a boondoggle (given its price tag) and an eyesore? Surely there are cheaper, less intrusive ways to improve bicycle/pedestrian travel without going all out on proposals like this.

I don't know how you could call this an eyesore.

It's kind of Orwellian looking, at least that's what I think.

What's Orwellian Looking? I posted 4 different photos.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orwellian

[MaxConcrete]

Those are interesting concepts, but mostly overambitious and probably overkill, and definitely overexpensive.

I seem to recall that for years decades there was talk of relocating the UP railroad which goes through campus, or placing it in a tunnel or trench. Those options were infeasible or too expensive. In the end, much less expensive option of taking Old Main under the tracks was the improvement which actually happened.

I think effort will focus on University from College Avenue to Northgate, and we'll eventually see some significant work on that section. (emphasize eventually) I don't think a full-length tunnel will be financially feasible. It will probably end up as 2 or 3 underpasses, or a 2x2 trench section with short deck parks over the trench.

[kernals12]

Awesome news, in an email exchange with the Executive Director of the Bryan/College Station MPO (I had wondered if they had any more documents related to it), he told me that they'll be releasing a feasibility study on Wednesday.

[Plutonic Panda]

Wow this is absolutely amazing and I hope it happens! What an incredible piece of infrastructure this would be.

[kernals12]

Wow this is absolutely amazing and I hope it happens! What an incredible piece of infrastructure this would be.

I know, it's been decades since we've seen such radical urban redevelopment projects.

[kernals12]

Those are interesting concepts, but mostly overambitious and probably overkill, and definitely overexpensive.

I seem to recall that for years decades there was talk of relocating the UP railroad which goes through campus, or placing it in a tunnel or trench. Those options were infeasible or too expensive. In the end, much less expensive option of taking Old Main under the tracks was the improvement which actually happened.

I think effort will focus on University from College Avenue to Northgate, and we'll eventually see some significant work on that section. (emphasize eventually) I don't think a full-length tunnel will be financially feasible. It will probably end up as 2 or 3 underpasses, or a 2x2 trench section with short deck parks over the trench.

That's sort of what they're suggesting, they'd leave several sections open. Also, they present a cheaper proposal which would just put a pedestrian deck between Boyett and Nagle, with local traffic redirected to Church.

[Plutonic Panda]

What's really crazy to me yet irritating is that some small town in Texas can get a proposal like this yet OKC ended up with this for its main urban boulevard which is basically a rural highway design: Oklahoma City Blvd, Oklahoma City, OK 73104
https://goo.gl/maps/oLzQaKZFnDCWiafi8

Now I know this still has to be built which may or may not happen but the mere fact it was seriously proposed and studies speaks volumes about the Texas can do mentality VS. the typical Oklahoma cheap out and stick to the status quo. How embarrassing for Oklahoma.

[kernals12]

What's really crazy to me yet irritating is that some small town in Texas can get a proposal like this yet OKC ended up with this for its main urban boulevard which is basically a rural highway design: Oklahoma City Blvd, Oklahoma City, OK 73104
https://goo.gl/maps/oLzQaKZFnDCWiafi8

Now I know this still has to be built which may or may not happen but the mere fact it was seriously proposed and studies speaks volumes about the Texas can do mentality VS. the typical Oklahoma cheap out and stick to the status quo. How embarrassing for Oklahoma.

Bryan and College Station have 200,000 people put together, that's not "some small town"

[Plutonic Panda]

What's really crazy to me yet irritating is that some small town in Texas can get a proposal like this yet OKC ended up with this for its main urban boulevard which is basically a rural highway design: Oklahoma City Blvd, Oklahoma City, OK 73104
https://goo.gl/maps/oLzQaKZFnDCWiafi8

Now I know this still has to be built which may or may not happen but the mere fact it was seriously proposed and studies speaks volumes about the Texas can do mentality VS. the typical Oklahoma cheap out and stick to the status quo. How embarrassing for Oklahoma.

Bryan and College Station have 200,000 people put together, that's not "some small town"

lol you and me have different ideas about what is small and what isn't. I suppose at best you could classify that metro as being mid size but that is being overly polite, IMO.

Bear in mind, I am referring to a direct comparison of Oklahoma City, a metro of 1.4 million to a town that doesn't really even have a metro just another city nearby to enlarge its population numbers to 200k. It's not meant as an insult and I'm actually complimenting the place and insulting Oklahoma City and Oklahoma as a whole by this.

[TXtoNJ]

What's really crazy to me yet irritating is that some small town in Texas can get a proposal like this yet OKC ended up with this for its main urban boulevard which is basically a rural highway design: Oklahoma City Blvd, Oklahoma City, OK 73104
https://goo.gl/maps/oLzQaKZFnDCWiafi8

Now I know this still has to be built which may or may not happen but the mere fact it was seriously proposed and studies speaks volumes about the Texas can do mentality VS. the typical Oklahoma cheap out and stick to the status quo. How embarrassing for Oklahoma.

I'm not going to say "it's a Texas thing, you wouldn't understand", but keep two things in mind:

1. Texas A&M and the large number of Aggies who are in the Texas Legislature
2. Their unending rivalry with the University of Texas and Austin
3. The Texas Transportation Institute is based in College Station

Not only do Aggies want to improve the city and make the campus environment more inviting to high-caliber students, the projects provide all sorts of opportunities for engineers-in-training, along with the ability to implement technologies developed by TTI very close to home.

[Rothman]

Around here, TTI generates snickers because of its "freight cube" performance measures.

[kernals12]

A draft copy of the feasibility study is here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1g1oEEt3k8_S7r3fJUCgvp4-RqSFsn1QY/view?usp=sharing

They find that the tunnel itself would be able to handle 2045 volumes of traffic although the at-grade intersections at each tunnel portal would be operating at LOS 'F'.

The cost would be between $335 and $505 million. The lower estimate seems very doable.