Copperas Cove city council to look at funding to construct interchange to join SH9 with Business 190

By LYNETTE SOWELL

Cove Leader-Press

Those on the north side of Copperas Cove who have been wishing for a way to access stores and other businesses on the east side of the city without having to drive through town may be a little closer to seeing that wish come true.

At Tuesday night’s upcoming city council meeting on Oct. 18, the council is being presented with an amendment to the city’s Capital Improvement Plan for the current fiscal year.

According to the agenda item, $1.6 million in savings has been identified from the city’s Certificates of Obligation bonds issued in 2017.

This $1.6 million would pay for majority of the cost of the interchange/exit, plus an additional $500,000 for the project would from the Copperas Cove EDC, for a total of $2.1 million earmarked for the project from city and EDC funds.

Also according to the agenda, this interchange would be from the eastbound land of SH-9 and connect it to Business 190.

The justification for the amendment to this year’s plan is to “provide connectivity for residents (both City and Coryell County residents) and Dept. of Defense (DOD) vendors from the north to retail, services, and shopping activities in the core of the city. Without this project, residents and commerce traffic are required to drive through city neighborhoods, impeded by railway activities and numerous traffic signals, which currently results in increased congestion, reduced air quality, and lost productivity.”

The agenda does not name a specific intersection on Business 190 that this future interchange will connect to, but it will likely join at the intersection of Constitution Drive and Business 190.

This amendment to the CIP will be up for a vote by the council on Tuesday.