Lubbock-Cooper ISD warning families ahead of Woodrow Road Expansion starting next week

LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) - Four years after Lubbock County taxpayers approved the project, work is set to begin next week to widen Woodrow Road. The first phase will take two years to complete, starting in front of Lubbock-Cooper High School.

As construction is set to begin Monday from US 87 to Indiana Avenue, Lubbock-Cooper Superintendent Keith Bryant urges drivers to be safe.

“Just ask drivers to be careful, slow down. Watch out for students, watch out for student drivers. And also just be kind to one another,” Bryant said.

Construction will begin with the north side of the road, but TxDOT officials say traffic will still flow with one lane in each direction. The speed limit will drop to no more than 40 miles per hour, but Bryant says drivers are used to driving slow in the area because of the school zone.

The project will result in a 5-lane roadway, with a turning lane in the middle along the stretch. While there may be complications during construction, Bryant says that result is worth it.

“While it may be inconvenient, and will be inconvenient at times, it won’t be worse than it is right now in terms of the lanes,” Bryant said. “But, you know, long-term, a five-lane, two lanes each direction with a turning lane all the way down the middle, will be a great benefit we think to our, especially teenage, drivers.”

Frequent drivers on Woodrow Road know traffic can get congested, especially as nearly 4,000 students going to Lubbock-Cooper High School and Lubbock-Cooper Liberty High School get to and from school.

“Plus all the construction traffic, all the building going on out in that area south of Woodrow Road. All that just compiled together creates significant traffic during the day,” the administrator said.

In 2019, Lubbock County voters approved a bond to alleviate some of those problems and expand Woodrow Road.

“Many times I’ve been asked when we we’re going to build and expand Woodrow Road, and it’s not our project. Our project is build the schools that the kids go to school in, and the county or the city builds the roads, in this case the county,” Bryant said.

Bryant says parents are excited, but he knows there will be some frustration over the next two years.

“One of the things I love about Lubbock, and people that move here tell me, is that it’s so easy to get around. You can get anywhere in 20 minutes, and maybe if you’re going down Woodrow Road, it takes you 30 minutes. But long term, again, it’s just that progress that is great for our our area,” Bryant said.

Bryant says the project includes stop lights at the intersections with CR 2330 in front of the high school, at University, Indiana and Quaker.

“So, with all that combined, we think it’s going to manage traffic. It may frustrate people, but here’s the thing. Any source of slowing down, if it can save a life of a child, is well worth it,” Bryant said.

TxDOT expects this first phase will be completed in September 2026. Bryant says the district will keep parents informed as the project develops.

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