OVERFLOW CROWD GREETS TxDOT FOR HEARING ON CLOVERLEAF PROJECT
An overflow crowd greeted TxDOT Thursday night for the 290 / 36 interchange public hearing. TxDOT officials quickly set up additional seating for the crowd for the formal presentation of the project at Brenham Elementary School.
The project limits extend from Prairie Lea Street, to Windy Acres Road for a length of approximately 3.25 miles.
The project would construct a new interchange at the intersection of US 290 and SH 36 that provides continuous traffic flow via two lanes in each direction along US 290 with direct connectivity to SH 36. The existing two-way frontage roads would be converted to one-way frontage roads, and access to local roads from 290 would be provided by upgraded entrance and exit ramps. The existing clover leaf ramps will be removed. Proposed improvements also include reconstruction of the Old Mill Creek and the Main Street bridges, as well as construction of a shared use path for pedestrians and bicyclists along the project corridor. The project has an estimated cost of $233 million, and is expected to begin the summer of 2027 and take 2 years to complete.
At the public hearing, 11 spoke, mostly about the trouble getting on 290 now and no one will use the bike/walking paths. You can still enter your message to TxDOT either by email to: BRY_PublicComment@txdot.gov or by regular mail by writing the TxDOT Bryan District Office, Attn: Sydney Fox, 2591 North Earl Rudder Freeway, Bryan, Texas 77803. Comments must be postmarked by February 5th. All comments are weighted the same.
The project would require approximately 75 acres of right of way and potentially displace eleven residences and twenty non-residential structures. It is the culmination of designs of the Revised Concept B of the 5 concepts presented by TxDOT.
Click here to view the full public hearing notice.
Click here to view exhibit boards presented during the public hearing.
Click here to view the project layout.
Unfortunately, whether it is a total bypass, or the current plan, people’s properties will be lost to it. As a town along a major thoroughfare, in a part of the state that is desirable, more people will be traveling through. That is just a fact. As it is now, as we all know, it gets pretty backed up on the busy holidays and weekends. Hopefully the powers that be are taking all of this into consideration.
I do know that once this starts, it will be even worse until completion. Let’s just hope it is good for 15 or 20 years until it backs up as well.
They know the situation but the new flyover is just going to dump high-speed traffic into a new light at Berlin Road and the transportation department was talking to people about redoing it again fifteen years from now.
The cloverleaf isn’t a good design but it does at least slow people down before hitting the light at Westwood. A light at Berlin is going to cause the same backup we already have and probably end up being deadlier than the light at FM 1155 in Chappell Hill.
This seems like an unsafe and wasteful mess to me. Maybe a higher state authority or our legislators need to get actively involved.
Property values for homes that Back up to or near 290 will plumet once this goes in. I hate to see people lose values or even worse get their homes taken. I do agree that the traffic is horrible now But I wish a better plan would be put in place. This plan is not going to be very helpful in a few years as Brenham continues to grow . Just My Opinion
The light is the only way we can get out of our driveaway most times.
Typical government project. Wasn’t at the meeting so I’m outside looking in. This has been a major issue of concern for many years and yet we don’t anticipate starting till 2027??? This effort will provide short term benefits. The way Brenham/Washington County are growing it will become a bottleneck in a few short years. Should have created a significant loop around. Nobody, including me, would want to lose property to such a concept but sure think it would be wiser.
Dear Typical you are very spot on with your comment. The current plans would only be short term and what’s really needed is a real loop around the city altogether but that’s not going to happen because the big-time wall street types put their shops along this path so this path is what’s going to be modified.
Correct Steve, this is more wasted money. Just look at Houston how they keep putting bandaids on things and now it’s impossible to make it right when they should have done it correctly the first time.
There was a truck route around the city then they put all the schools on it
I agree that it should be acted on more quickly, but disagree that it will become a bottle neck. It will open up and smooth out all the traffic moving back and forth between Houston and Austin.
If you lived on 290 you would have a totally different opinion on this matter. It’s hard enough to get out of our drive now, they expect us to turn right and go down to crossover to be able to go to town. Going to be heck getting 18 wheelers out of driveway. The light at Westwood helped us to be able to get out of our driveaway. No Bridge at North and South Berlin, they even mentioned maybe a stop light there and maybe one at Windy Acres. Trading one problem for the next.
It takes more than a stick house builder to solve this problem. The large bypass loop is the only long term solution. This planned work is a total waste of tax dollars.
Just get rid of the stop light and the problem will be solved
Yes and no depending on which way you are coming from. It bottle necks first at the clover leaf. Backing up from that all the way to the car dealerships. Then it backs up from the light all the way to North Berlin. Their fix is not going to work.