The Texas A&M University System donated $1 million to College Station to help ease traffic congestion even when it's not football season.
School officials announced Friday the funding to support upgrades for traffic signals and technology improvements. The Texas A&M Transportation Institute will assist with the municipal project as College Station seeks to modernize its traffic management system.
The growing area has mobility problems even without football games, Chancellor John Sharp said.
"On game days, we become a major urban center," Sharp said, referencing Kyle Field's seating capacity of more than 106,000 fans. "But with a growing population we have mobility issues every day of the week. The improvements initiated by the City of College Station will go a long way toward helping us address the challenges that come with the growth we are seeing every day."
College Station has about 100,000 residents, according to census officials. Spring enrollment at A&M topped 58,000 students.
The school unveiled a smartphone app last August to help with game day traffic at Kyle Field. And some of the new transit-improvement equipment has already been installed, College Station City Manager Kelly Templin told The Eagle.
By the fall, the city will be able to control signals at critical intersections before and after football games. Additional installations of signals and controls will stretch into 2016.
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The College Station City Council approved the funds from the A&M System at its Thursday night meeting. The $1 million will not be a part of the $4.75 million installation and project, but will go toward maintaining and updating the system, according to Templin.
"It's growing the program faster than the city could have done it," Templin said. "It's a tremendous benefit to us."
