CAMPO outlines recommended Caldwell County arterial network; court told plan could cut driver delay nearly 25%

CAMPO (Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization) representatives presented a countywide transportation plan to the Caldwell County Commissioners Court on May 28, 2024, saying the document provides a recommended arterial network and conceptual cross sections to guide right‑of‑way preservation as development occurs.

William Liska, CAMPO staff, told commissioners the plan adapts CAMPO’s Regional Arterials Concept Inventory for Caldwell County and pairs a lettered map of arterials with a table showing proposed cross sections, lane counts and right‑of‑way needs. "This is the recommended arterial network," Liska said, adding the maps are conceptual and alignment lines are intended corridor connections, not final locations.

Liska said CAMPO ran travel‑demand models for three scenarios — existing, future no‑build and future recommended network — and that implementing the recommended network would increase lane miles and reduce vehicle miles and delay. "The total amount of delay experienced by drivers, that's the vehicle hours traveled, decreases by almost 25%," he said.

Commissioners asked about local congestion points and whether the plan would address problematic intersections. Liska and commissioners noted the plan focuses on major arterials and that more detailed project‑level studies would be needed to design intersection improvements. CAMPO staff also said a local plan is a prerequisite for projects to be added to the regional long‑range plan and that the CAMPO 2050 application window opens June 17 and closes Aug. 16, so timely county adoption would help maintain eligibility for federal funding.

The presentation was for discussion only; the court did not adopt the plan at the meeting but discussed next steps for stakeholder meetings and possible adoption prior to CAMPO's application intake.