Copperas Cove Business 190 project starts next construction phase

By LYNETTE SOWELL

Cove Leader-Press

On Friday afternoon March 25, drivers heading east on Business 190 in Copperas Cove may have noticed the disappearance of the orange-and-white barrels blocking off the outside travel lane.

Those barrels have been moved by TTG Utilities, the contractor who has been working on the Business 190 sidewalk and median project since December 2020.

The barrels will soon reappear in another location – the center turn lane and inside lanes of Business Highway 190 from Avenue D to Constitution Drive.

“The contractor is scheduled to begin median construction next week,” said Jake Smith, Public Information Officer with the Texas Department of Transportation’s Waco District.

“This work will require the center turn lane closure and inside lane closure in both directions, as stated.

“The current status of the project is that the contractor is making significant progress and will begin a new phase of the project next week. In terms of a timeline, the project is scheduled to complete this fall.”

The project keeps three lanes of traffic for eastbound and westbound Business 190, and now has a dedicated four-foot bicycle lane and a six-foot sidewalk on the south side.

For now, drivers on the outside eastbound lane – newly reopened – will notice the wider travel lane, due to extra footage for the bicycle lane, which is yet unstriped.

This marks the second phase of the project, which includes the medians themselves with curb and gutter portions except for the left turn sections, and the placement of rip-rap/pavers within the medians.

The third phase will include micro mill and tom overlay, along with be the curb and gutter in the left turn median sections, and any rip-rap/pavers not already installed. The final phase will be pavement markings and permanent sign installation.

The funds for the median and sidewalk construction themselves came from a combination of Federal and State transportation funds, awarded to the city. An additional $410,000 in funding comes from the Governor’s Community Achievement Award grant given to the Keep Copperas Cove Beautiful Commission in 2013 and 2017, to be used for beautification along a TxDOT roadway within the city. These funds created the terraced landscape along Business 190.

TTG Utilities’ bid for the project was $4,762,516.85, with the project having an original estimated budget of $10,000,000.

The City of Copperas Cove paid for the project design, out of a budgeted $1,000,000 from the city’s annual certificate of obligation bonds.

Funds for the overall project were allocated to the city by the Killeen Temple Metropolitan Planning Organization back in May 2017, after it was ranked as one of the highest priority projects submitted to KTMPO by area cities and counties.

The project has received both criticism and praises from residents and business owners, with some citing that the medians will prevent unrestricted access to businesses along the corridor, with other citing safety issues along the seven lanes of busy roadway.