DEACON CROSSING & CAIN CLOSURE PROJECT
The City of College has experienced exponential growth — especially to the south and west. With that growth expected to continue, FM 2154 (Wellborn Road) is increasingly critical in serving the area’s booming population.
A connectivity challenge exists to the west due to the Union Pacific railroad tracks paralleling FM 2154. For operational efficiency and safety, Union Pacific limits the number of allowed crossings, limiting access from the west to other parts of the city. In addition, the existing railroad crossings intersecting FM 2154 tend to be undersized and do not require traffic on FM 2154 to stop. The result is backed-up traffic on FM 2154 and bottlenecks at the crossings.
Cain Road is among the crossings that provide access to the developments west of FM 2154. The 2-lane un-signalized crossing serves several businesses and residential developments in the busy area. The crossing presents several mobility and safety issues due to its geometry, grading, and the lack of a signal to control access to the connecting 6-lane roadway.
To address these issues — and at the recommendation of the 2015 Capital Improvement Citizen Advisory Committee — the city has planned several projects to improve the crossings and enhance safety by increasing traffic capacity and connectivity. Specifically, the Cain Road crossing will be closed. A new crossing will be constructed south of Cain Road with the extension of Deacon Drive from FM 2154 to The Barracks. The new intersection will be signalized and includes turn lanes in every direction.
NEXT STEPS
The Deacon Crossing and Cain Closure Project construction Phase 1 provided for removal of the medians. Phases 2 & 3 will shift traffic to on FM 2154 and close Deacon and Fraternity Row at FM 2154 in order to reconstruct FM 2154 to accommodate the new rail crossing at Deacon. These two phases are scheduled until the Spring of 2023. The total project construction is scheduled through the fall of 2023.