Bursey Road runs along the northern edge of Watauga, Texas, adjacent to two Keller Independent School District (ISD) schools located in the neighboring city. The road is part of the Watauga Thoroughfare Plan and was identified as a priority project due to its inadequate traffic carrying capacity. The City of Watauga contracted B&N to address the inadequate capacity, school accessibility and an under-designed storm drain along a one mile stretch from Whitley Road to Rufe Snow Drive.
Originally, Bursey Road was a two-lane asphalt roadway. B&N designed improvements that resulted in a four-lane concrete roadway that allows higher traffic flow and better access to the two schools. The use of concrete increases durability resulting in less maintenance for City crews. To address all the project needs, work was divided into two phases.
During both phases, B&N provided:
- 5,200 linear feet (LF) of concrete roadway and adjacent sidewalk
- 10-foot trail design
- 1,800 LF of RCP storm drain
- 300 LF of 12-inch PVC water line
- Roadway alignment corrections
- Traffic maintenance
- Drainage investigation
- Culvert and flume design
B&N coordinated construction and maintenance of traffic with the City of Watauga, City of Keller and Keller ISD to prevent traffic congestion during the construction phase at the two neighboring schools.
Drainage Investigations
B&N performed an initial drainage investigation for both phases that included a drainage area map to determine the watershed that drains to Bursey Road. In Phase I, the newly constructed drainage system was designed to contain the 100-year event within the right-of-way to help prevent flooding onto adjacent properties during major storms.
During Phase II, B&N discovered that the downstream drainage system was only designed for a 10-year storm event. B&N designed the appropriate controls to ensure that larger stormwater flows from the wider section of Bursey Road, when designed to a 100-year event, could safely get to the receiving stream. The creative approach included a drainage system that expanded the undersized culvert, added a flume and utilized the existing underground drainage system. B&N designed the 100-year storm overflow from the underground drainage system to be carried in a flume between houses to the receiving stream to reduce the chances of flooding properties along the road.
Eye-catching Addition
An aesthetic addition to the roadway improvements was a faux brick thermoplastic striped crosswalk in front of one of the schools. B&N found a vendor who would supply and install the faux brick crosswalk at no charge. This eye-catching design stands out to drivers and increases their awareness of the school crosswalk.