Killeen council approves Watercrest change order; residents press for clearer construction timelines

KILLEEN, Texas — The Killeen City Council approved change order No. 2 for the Watercrest Road reconstruction project on Tuesday, authorizing an additional $1,220,340.28 and moving the multiyear road work toward completion.

The change order, presented by staff during the council meeting, addresses unexpected subsurface soil treatment, added curb-and-gutter and other construction adjustments discovered after work began. Staff said funding for the change order was anticipated and included in the project’s contingency plan.

Council members and staff emphasized that the Watercrest work is part of a larger multi-project street program started in 2022, which also includes Gilmer Street, Bunny Trail, Stagecoach and Willow Springs. Public speakers and several council members pressed city staff for faster, clearer communication to residents along construction corridors and asked whether contractors can be held to stricter timelines or penalties when they stop work.

“Residents want more detail than a brief ‘project update,’ ” Mayor Debbie Nash said during the meeting. Engineering staff said they are improving the city’s project webpages and committed to more frequent updates through the new communications team. Staff also confirmed they had used available contingency funds for the Watercrest change order and are continuing to press the contractor to maintain schedules; the contractor resumed work last week, staff said.

Several residents described daily impacts from construction. One resident said local traffic volumes were “chewing the road up” and urged the council to reconsider the planned conversion of Watercrest from four lanes to a three-lane section with a center median. Others asked that the city require contractors to restore temporary conditions faster and to share more detailed schedules when work stops. City staff said legal and contract remedies — including liquidated damages and negotiating with the contractor — are options for enforcing schedule compliance.

The discussion also placed Watercrest in the broader context of the city’s street-fee funding. Staff presented the street-fee account balance and a plan to move forward on design for Zephyr Road while banking enough funds to begin Stagecoach Phase 2 next year. Council members asked staff to accelerate Zephyr planning and to provide a clearer multi-year funding timetable for the public.

The council approved the Watercrest change order as part of consent items. Staff said the Watercrest project remains on track to extend into early next year because of utility and drainage work, but that the city had planned for the additional cost in prior budgets.