Residents urge county to halt East Loop planning; court says project was disclosed in 2022 bond materials

Dozens of residents told the Brazos County Commissioner's Court on May 6 that they oppose the proposed East Loop highway alignment and asked county leaders to stop the project or increase public engagement.

Taylor Cooper, identifying himself as a member of the No East Loop group, told the court he had not received answers to emails and questioned traffic data supporting the East Loop. "I'm still looking for some traffic studies that support the need for this East Loop," he said. Several other residents, including Bobby Rozier and Robert Johnson, described potential home takeaways and community disruption if the alignment proceeds.

The central point of the public comments was a request for greater transparency and more time for public review. Kyle Greenwood asked the court to extend the comment period on newly released alignments from 17 days to 90 days, saying residents had been unable to get questions answered and had repeatedly requested the item be placed on a court agenda.

Judge Peters responded during the announcements section with a timeline of public outreach leading up to the November 2022 bond election. He said the East Loop concept was presented at a July 2022 public workshop and that materials, including a mailer showing project maps, were sent to registered voters before the bond vote. "Full transparency. Everyone should have known," the judge said, and noted that while the bond included East Loop planning, the county did not have construction funding for the road.

Speakers pressed the court on whether county staff had attended community meetings and whether commissioners had engaged with affected neighborhoods; multiple residents said invitations to discuss the project were not accepted. Some speakers tied the alignment to potential future annexation and commercial rezoning in areas shown on the county and city planning materials.

The court did not take a vote on any East Loop action during this session. The judge reiterated that the county's current role was to preserve a potential corridor until state and federal processes determine next steps, and that TxDOT would control construction funding and scheduling.

The court also reminded the public of a same-day open house on refined alignment concepts at the Legends Event Center and said the study team would accept public input there.

The meeting record shows multiple public comments on the East Loop across citizen input and later announcements; no formal county action to authorize construction or acquire property was taken at this meeting.