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MPO asks Brazos County for $40,000 match to study Complete Streets corridor near Texas A&M
Summary
The Bryan–College Station MPO requested a $40,000 local match from Brazos County to complete a federally funded $300,000 Complete Streets plan for the South College/College Avenue corridor serving Texas A&M students. The plan would guide design choices and steer future grade-separation projects; commissioners asked for concepts and cost details before committing funds.
Dan Rudge, executive director of the Bryan–College Station Metropolitan Planning Organization, asked Brazos County on Dec. 16 to contribute $40,000 toward a federally funded Complete Streets plan focused on the South College/College Avenue corridor near Texas A&M University.
Rudge told the Commissioners Court the Texas Transportation Institute estimates the planning work at about $300,000 and the MPO has roughly $175,000 in carryover funds it can apply. The MPO is seeking $40,000 from each affected jurisdiction, he said, and would appoint four steering-committee members from each jurisdiction to guide the consultant-selected plan.
"We would like to make sure that we put together ... a Complete Street," Rudge said, explaining the approach aims to improve safety, comfort and access for pedestrians, bicyclists, transit riders, freight and motorists along the corridor from University Drive to Villa Maria Road.
Why it matters: The corridor serves large numbers of students and is a high-priority redevelopment area, the MPO said. The plan is intended to convert multiple prior studies and concept ideas into a single recommended set of projects and sequencing, including potential grade separations on University Drive.
Commissioners pressed for specifics. Commissioner Brown asked why local jurisdictions were being asked to match federal funds; Rudge said local matches secure local buy-in and give each jurisdiction representation on the steering committee. Questions from the court also focused on concept differences — whether pedestrian overpasses or underpasses were feasible and how prior studies (including a 2017 report and a TxDOT review) would factor into the consultant’s final recommendations.
Rudge said two consultant finalists remain and that interviews are scheduled for January, with work not expected to start before Feb. 1. He offered to provide the commissioners with the prior concepts and earlier studies so they could compare alternatives.
Next steps: The court did not vote to provide funds during the Dec. 16 session. Rudge said he could make concept drawings and cost breakdowns available and assist the county in recommending steering-committee appointees if the court chooses to participate.
