BRYAN, Texas — Construction on South College Avenue in Bryan has been underway since May 2023. 15ABC checked-in with the city engineer about the status of the project and nearby residents about how the construction has impacted them.
- South College Avenue from Villa Maria Road has been closed since May 2023.
- Nearby residents say their water is sometimes dirty because of the underground construction. They also say their mail and garbage pickup have been delayed because of the road closures.
- The final product will be a new, three-lane road with a center turning lane and two roundabouts.
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Everyday things like checking your mail or taking out the trash are becoming more difficult for residents living in neighborhoods near South College Avenue.
But residents who live here say it's not just getting around that's becoming more complicated.
“It's iron in the water, it's dirt, filth and stuff like that like when we shower,” Cyril Sanders said.
Sanders has been living with him mom just off of South College Avenue in Bryan for the last two years.
He says that since construction started in May of last year, they've had issues with clean water, and getting mail delivered and garbage picked up on time.
“They’re just a little late because the road was taken out around here. And they're a bit more late,” Sanders said.
The South College Avenue project is part of a bigger roadway construction project, stretching from South College Avenue and Villa Maria Road into downtown Bryan.
“You've been seeing a lot with the construction that's going on, and it's pretty typical for a roadway project. There's a lot of underground infrastructure that goes in before you get to see any paving like the piece that we're standing on right now,” said Paul Kaspar, the city engineer for the city of Bryan.
He tells me this is a big project and a lot of the work is finally coming above ground.
“Right over here is some of the underground work that’s been going on on the South College Project. You can see the newer looking concrete there,” Kaspar said.
When it's all said and done, the new road will have three lanes with a center turning lane and something new.
“This project scope includes two roundabouts — one of them is at Carson where there's currently a traffic signal that'll be converted to a roundabout and then there'll be another one at Williamson drive,” Kaspar said.
The project is expected to wrap up in the fall of 2025. Until then, residents are left to work around the impacts of the construction.