Copperas Cove reviews 16 MPO projects; council schedules town hall on Business 190 phases
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Summary
City staff presented 16 projects submitted to the Killeen‑Temple MPO TIP and long‑range plan, explained a 4.5% inflation multiplier and safety data for Business 190; council directed staff to hold a public town hall in April and return with refined proposals before the MPO call for projects.
City of Copperas Cove staff reviewed 16 transportation projects submitted to the Killeen‑Temple Metropolitan Planning Organization (K‑TEMPO) short‑range TIP (FY2025–28) and 2050 long‑range plan at a Feb. 17 workshop, outlining schedules, funding categories and design tradeoffs for the next phases of Business 190 and other corridors.
Bobby Lewis, Development Services Director, told council staff applied a 4.5% inflation multiplier to project estimates to reflect increased infrastructure construction costs between FY2025 and FY2026. Lewis said two projects are currently on the short‑range TIP and moving toward construction: the Ashley Drive connection (engineering near completion; environmental review ongoing; tentative construction start October 2026) and Fort Cavazos access ramps, which staff said are already under work.
Lewis summarized the Business 190 program: upcoming phases include pedestrian and drainage improvements, medians where appropriate and sidewalk extensions. He cited a crash study for the phase‑1 segment showing a reduction from about 50 crashes to about 35 over two years after the median project was completed, and he said 33 new businesses located in that corridor following improvements. Lewis also noted that additional renovations occurred in the corridor but did not provide a clear renovation count in the workshop record.
City staff and council discussed design tradeoffs including turning‑movement constraints when medians are added, whether sidewalks should sit at the curb or be shifted, and the limits of TxDOT’s jurisdiction: TxDOT controls access in its right‑of‑way and will be a partner on advanced funding agreements and design approvals. Staff said projects were scored and ranked through K‑TEMPO; some phases are categorized for pedestrian/intermodal funding (category 9) while others may be eligible for federal right‑of‑way funding (category 2) or local street funding (category 7).
Staff asked the council for direction on whether to submit the projects to the next K‑TEMPO call for projects as currently scoped. After discussion about public impact and business access, the council’s working consensus was to hold a town hall in April to gather public input and to make a final decision before the MPO’s deadline. Staff said the call for projects is expected in the fall and requested an earlier decision to allow time for final engineering and rescoping if needed.
The workshop record shows no formal vote on project scope; instead, staff received direction to conduct public engagement and return for further council direction.
