END OF THE ROAD
"This is a victory for Brazos County and all citizens who think your voices don't matter. You can't win if you don't try."
Kyle Greenwood, Brazos County Commissioner
Precinct 2 - elect
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Tuesday, July 29, 2025, the Brazos County Commissioners' Court voted 5-0 to cancel the $11.2 million study of the Inner East Loop.
See the reporting below.
The Eagle newspaper
KBTX media
WTAW radio
Brazos County, TX
Stop believing the Keyboard Cowards
This was NOT a TxDOT Project!
Kyle Greenwood (Brazos County Commissioner Pct 2 - elect), spoke to a member of the Texas Transportation Commission Wednesday July 30th, one day after the Brazos County Commissioners cancelled the Quiddity contract to study the Inner East Loop. The TTC Commissioners are the governing body of TxDOT and are appointed by the Texas Governor. Kyle and the Commissioner had a productive 30 minute conversation about the Inner East Loop. In that conversation the following was clarified (quotes by the Commissioner underlined):
1. The Inner East Loop was not a TxDOT project. This was a Brazos County project. "TxDOT has not been coaching this project."
TxDOT does not simply draw a line on a map and show up to take someone’s property. Major transportation projects can take years, and sometimes decades, to move from an idea to construction. They must go through planning, environmental review, development of alternatives, public meetings, community input, design, and right-of-way acquisition, and many projects then wait years for funding to become available. Public involvement is a real part of that process, but it only works when the public participates. Too often, people stay home because they believe, “They’re going to do it anyway.” That attitude gives away one of the most important opportunities citizens have to influence the process. If a proposed route affects your home, your land, your business, or your community, attend the meetings, study the alternatives, ask questions, submit comments, and make your concerns part of the official record. We cannot demand that our voices be heard if we are unwilling to use them.
2. Brazos County voting to cancel the project was in fact, "a victory."
Our Notes: Stop believing these comments: "This doesn’t stop the project. It just takes away the power of the County and citizens to have a say when TXDOT decides to build the loop." "If they want it, they will take it." Or from a local developer arguing it out on the KBTX Facebook page - "The residents think they won but they just made its much worse in the future and don’t even know it. They had control now but in 15-20 years they will have 0 control. The residents don’t understand how badly they just messed up."
We reiterate - this was not a TxDOT project. This was also not the I-14/214 project. Would TxDOT have chosen the "preserved corridor" selected by the Inner East Loop study to place I-14/214 on? Probably not because TxDOT even said the alignment that was being studied was "too close to town."
If that was the intention of our local government all along to influence the future placement of I-14, they never disclosed that. Not even on the PAC paid advertisement for the 2022 TRIP Bond (voter-approved funding for the study). Think about that.
3. "Brazos County cannot perform the NEPA process." The commissioner explained that Brazos County could not itself issue the environmental clearance required for the project to advance as a TxDOT project.
Our Notes: Brazos County could pay for and prepare the studies, but TxDOT would ultimately have to participate in and approve the environmental process before the project could advance as a TxDOT project. But once again, this project was not a TxDOT priority. TxDOT knew about the Inner East Loop, but knowing about or coordinating with a locally sponsored project is very different from TxDOT adopting it, funding it, or planning to build it.
4. If the community wants to move forward with the Inner East Loop, we have to fund it. The study, setting the alignment, purchasing right-of-way, and completing the environmental process will all need to come from the community. Since Brazos County has withdrawn their support, the money will need to come from the Bryan College Station Metropolitan Planning Organization (BCSMPO) or the cities.
The commissioner went on to say, "let me give you a level of comfort" about funding from TxDOT for these types of projects. "TxDOT is not going to help. The money is just not there." The Unified Transportation Program (UTP) is TxDOT’s rolling 10-year transportation program, updated annually. Each year $1 billion goes to the major metro areas with only 750 million going to the Austin area. There is a "huge fight for money" in Texas transportation.
Our notes: Dan Rudge, Executive Director of the MPO, has consistently told us that the Inner East Loop is not a priority. In fact, the first place we see the Inner East Loop on the MPO's project list is at spot number 95. In addition, that is only a portion of the loop and not the entire loop. Brazos County has consistently said they have no money for a project of this magnitude. The MPO also does not have the money for a project of this magnitude. See the July 30th KBTX report and interview of Dan Rudge HERE.
And finally, there was no identified TxDOT funding for the Inner East Loop, especially when the traffic analysis does not prove that it will alleviate traffic on the existing network all the way out to the year 2050. An independent traffic analysis by a qualified professional was presented to the Brazos County Commissioners Court. That analysis became part of the information considered as the Commissioners reassessed whether the project could be justified. Though the Brazos County taxpayer-funded study should have paid for a traffic analysis, one was never published, despite the fact that meetings were already being held with property owners about placing an alignment. It is our opinion that traffic need should be justified prior to an alignment being "preserved." In addition, eminent domain is illegal to use in Texas simply for economic development.
In conclusion, remember these key words from Judge Pro Tem Kyle Kacal released on July 23, 2025:
"None of the current commissioners were in office when the previous court voted to include an Inner East Loop study on the TRIP 22 bond proposition, but it was the responsibility of this court to carry out the process. It has since become clear that there is not a current purpose for the County to continue a study for a road the County would neither construct nor maintain.” WTAW reporting HERE.
Brazos County pursued an Inner East Loop alignment
that TxDOT warned was "too close to town."
Back in November 2024, our team warned everyone about alignment 7C, behind Copperfield and Miramont. We begged the Commissioners to talk about it and tell/show the people. They did not. Also in November, TxDOT told Quiddity that the 7C alignment was too close to town. Instead of heeding TxDOT's warning, Quiddity proceeded and revealed it as one of the alignments in May 2025.
Fast forward to May 2025 to a public meeting at the Legends Event Center and the new BLUE alignment 1 was shown - the old alignment 7 that TxDOT said back in November 2024 was too close to town. Despite that, only people on the Blue alignment received Right-of-Entry request letters from Quiddity.
An alignment was being pursued even after TxDOT had raised concerns that it was ‘too close to town,’ calling into question whether that alignment could ultimately satisfy TxDOT’s process. Once again, this was a county project.
The Inner East Loop destroying Eastern Brazos County
The East Loop Opposition, also known as No East Loop, believes this 20-mile 4-lane divided highway with a 300-foot Right-of-Way unfairly burdens many property and home owners of eastern Brazos County. Homes will be torn down, farm & ranch land will be cut in half, wildlife will be disrupted, natural creeks and springs will be disturbed, and agricultural production will be impeded. In addition, the enjoyment of rural life outside of the city, especially those that moved from larger cities, will be decimated. With a 10-15 year project completion estimate, this highway is about future metropolitan development and does not ease the traffic burdens on Highway 6 needed yesterday.
On May 6, 2025, Brazos County Judge Duane Peters stated this entire project has been "fully transparent" and that our accusations that it has been anything less are incorrect. Residents made pleas in the citizen comment period of the weekly meetings for months asking for a public, on-the-record discussion about the Inner East Loop. There was never an open discussion in the nine months of citizen testimony.
Since any kind of discussion or debate with elected officials never occurred, a video rebuttal to Judge Peters' was produced. The documents that Judge Peters used in that May 6th meeting can be seen HERE.
The second round of alignments, released on May 6th, were expected to be set as early as summer 2025. NOTE: once an alignment is indefinitely constrained (set), property owners will not be allowed to build or use their property to its full enjoyment, yet while still paying taxes, whether the highway is ever built or not.
Residents of eastern Brazos County repeatedly asked that the $11.2 million "study" be cancelled or paused until an actual independent traffic study could be completed reflecting the expected changes in BIG 6 (Highway 6) expansion as well as East-West road improvements (SH 30 Widening and FM 1179).
On Friday May 2nd, a propaganda piece was released by Brazos County defending the Inner East Loop despite the fact that Brazos County General Counsel Bruce Erratt just two weeks prior said that the Inner East Loop was "in fact, not county business."
Judge Peters declined two opportunities to speak to the residents at No East Loop Opposition organized Town Halls, however did speak at a B/CS Chamber of Commerce event. Tickets for that event cost $175. Precinct 2 Commissioner Chuck Konderla spoke at the first NEL Town Hall and reiterated that the $11.2 million "study" being performed by Quiddity is "just a study" despite it including much more than a traffic study (see the contract HERE).
The funding of the $11.2 million Quiddity contract came from a Bond Package passed in the November 2022 election in which approximately 29% of registered voters participated. The details of that election and whether voters knew what they were voting on were called into question by the No East Loop Opposition. A "documentary" movie was shown at the No East Loop Town Hall in February 2025 that shed light on the story of how this plan came to fruition, the parties involved, the $15,000/month consultant John Polster, who insisted he is NOT a lobbyist, and the PAC and its donors that paid to promote the Transportation Road Improvement Package (TRIP Bond).