Bell County approves $1.5 million to add turn lanes, design signals on Chaparral Road

Bell County Commissioners Court on Monday amended the county’s FY2024 capital improvement plan to include Chaparral Road improvements and approved funding of up to $1,500,000 from unallocated general‑fund reserves to advance design and initial construction work on the corridor.

The decision follows a lengthy public and commissioner discussion about the project’s scope, timing and best use of county crews versus contracted work. The court’s approved scope focuses on adding turn lanes in two trouble spots near Featherline and the high school and contracting for signal design; the final construction scope and schedule will be set after design.

Why it matters: Commissioners and residents said the stretch of Chaparral Road that serves two large schools and growing subdivisions is seeing increasing congestion and safety risk. Commissioners described the action as a near‑term intervention intended to reduce crash risk and improve traffic flow pending a longer, TxDOT‑led corridor project later in the decade.

The county’s engineering contractor, Colton Fisher of Freese and Nichols, told the court the engineering study shows the corridor currently operates at poor levels of service and that installing the proposed turn lanes and two coordinated traffic signals would improve the worst intersections to acceptable levels. “If we do all 5 of those proposed improvements, the intersections will be operating at a, b, and and possibly c,” Fisher said during the presentation, summarizing traffic‑model results.

Several commissioners urged a conservative, staged approach that preserves taxpayer money. Commissioners representing the two affected precincts said they intend to use county crews where feasible to widen shoulders and lay base mix so the work can be completed more quickly and at lower cost than a full reconstruction. Commissioner discussion repeatedly returned to the timing question: whether to wait for the larger Chaparral corridor project (a multi‑phase state project) or to build interim lanes and sleeves now so later work will not waste newly placed pavement.

The court amended a previously higher estimate and approved an allocation “not to exceed $1,500,000” to be drawn from the general fund unallocated reserve. The action passed 3–2.

What commissioners said and asked: - Colton Fisher (Freese and Nichols) summarized the engineering options and recommended turn lanes at Featherline and at the high‑school T intersection plus signals at both locations to be timed together. He recommended building both signals together rather than one at a time to avoid making traffic worse on the other intersection. “Featherline is having most of the problems, and so installing the signal makes a massive difference,” he said. - Commissioners debated whether to pay for full pavement sections now or to widen shoulders and place hot‑mix overlays that county crews can maintain until the longer corridor redesign is built. Several commissioners favored county crews building a matching pavement section to save money and permit a quicker summer construction window. - Concerns raised included right‑of‑way, buried utilities that may require relocation, lead time for signal equipment and the need for signal timing/management once installed. Commissioners noted Killeen operates traffic signals in the adjacent city network and discussed a potential operation/maintenance arrangement with the city.

Next steps: The court directed staff to proceed with design work and staging and to use county forces for base and paving where feasible; final construction contracts and schedules will follow completion of more detailed design and bidding. Commissioners said they expect to return with design contracts and firm scope/bid packages for the work.

Ending note: The court emphasized the decision as an interim safety and capacity measure ahead of a longer state‑led Chaparral project; the $1.5 million allocation is intended to fund design and targeted construction so the county can improve safety before the larger corridor is built.