TxDOT holds meeting over Hearne Relief Route

HEARNE, Texas (KBTX) – TxDOT held its first public meeting on Thursday over its proposed Heane Relief Route, designed to relieve traffic congestion going through the town along Texas 6.

Bob Colwell, TxDOT Bryan’s Public Information Officer, had previously told KBTX that the study is being conducted because of the number of congestion points in Hearne. In a statement to KBTX on Friday, TxDOT said that over 130 people attended the open house meeting.

That statement said those in attendance were able to review three different “feasible corridors” for the potential relief route. It also allowed them to discuss existing traffic patterns along Texas 6 and the anticipated project timeline.

“Many of the attendees agreed that a relief route, designed to reduce congestion through the City of Hearne, is necessary. Some people said that currently, it is hard for them to pull out onto SH 6 due to the high traffic levels,” Colwell said in the statement.

TxDOT added that others expressed their concerns about how congested it gets at stoplights throughout the town and a “few” local business owners were worried about how a relief route could impact the economy.

Cunningham Real Estate in Hearne is along Texas 6. The business said it was excited about the meeting, but it wasn’t what they thought it would be.

“I thought we were coming in to discuss the different changes, or ideas or what we would like to see. We walked in to see what their idea already was, which was a loop around town,” Cody Cunningham, real estate agent said.

Cunningham said one of the major factors that causes traffic to halt wasn’t even discussed.

“I believe the true traffic congestion that makes it a big deal starts with the train as well as heavier use and traffic patterns, but the Union Pacific train is the big issue,” Cunningham said.

One week before the meeting Cunnigham said he was concerned about how the relief routes could impact the economy, something he is still concerned about. However, after the meeting, his main concern was that no immediate solutions were presented.

“What are we going to do with the first Aggie weekend this year,” Cunningham said. “It seems like 15 years from now we might have a loop around town, and there’s a lot of reaction to that but walked away with no discussion, no thought, no inquiry on what will be done this year, next year or in the immediate future.”

While the meeting was focused on the relief route, some Robertson County residents came out to learn more about other TxDOT projects in the area such as the I-14 corridor and the route from Hearne to OSR.

“Over the years I’ve seen a lot of accidents along that stretch of road and a lot of fatalities. It is the only stretch of road between Houston and Waco on Highway 6 that isn’t a divided four-lane highway,” Robertson County resident Bill Lightsey.

Regardless of the project, residents hope TxDOT continues to communicate and give updates.

“We would like to see the loop as a discussion, a discussion that will continue to happen, but I think there is a hole where they are not filling where, what are we going to do now,” Cunningham said.

Now that the first meeting has ended, TxDOT said its project team will evaluate the feedback they received to “assist in the development of a future roadway alignment” and a more “refined design” will presented at a future meeting.