One part of Bouse Road will likely see improvements sooner than another

By Charles Bolinger

Editor • Improving Bouse Road between just east of Chamberlain Drive and Formosa Road will take a piecemeal approach after a vote on Dec. 15.

That’s when the Troy City Council approved Bouse Road’s second phase of construction. This section covers Bouse Road from Whitworth Drive east to Formosa Road and will match the same scope of work as listed in Phase 1: a 24-foot-wide concrete street with four-foot-wide asphalt shoulders and a 10-foot-wide shared-use path that will connect to Madison County Transit’s Goshen Trail. Troy City Engineer Tom Cissell said this project missed the funding award cut-off by less than a point. Instead, the city plans to submit a surface transportation plan – suballocated grant (STP-S) grant to fund it. The STP-S is due Feb. 4, 2026. The estimated total project cost is $1,450,000,000. The city will commit about $450,000, plus the STP-S grant.

Meanwhile, the first phase of the project will cover Bouse between Chamberlain Drive and Whitworth Drive. It will reconstruct the oil ‘n chip road into a 24-foot-wide concrete street with new asphalt shoulders, curbs, gutters and sidewalks. The project scored well enough to receive a $740,000 grant in 2024. In addition, a Metro-East Park and Recreation District (MEPRD) grant for $49,523 was also received to help build the 10-foot-wide shared-use path along Bouse Road. The city signed off on the MEPRD agreement in September. Survey control was set in October and survey work will continue during the holidays.