TxDOT to Begin $107.5M Widening of US 190 in Copperas Cove

The Texas Department of Transportation will begin a $107.5 million reconstruction and widening of U.S. Highway 190 in Copperas Cove the week of Feb. 16, 2026. The project, contracted to James Construction Group, will convert the existing two-lane bypass into a four-lane divided highway and rebuild key intersections to improve capacity and mobility for local drivers.

Work covers the corridor reported as running from Clark Road (also reported as Clarke Road) east to the Lampasas County line, a segment local coverage identified as a 7-mile stretch. Crews will reconstruct the U.S. 190 and FM 2657 intersection and build a new U.S. 190 overpass as part of the project. TxDOT said in a news release that the project "will add capacity in the project corridor and improve current and future mobility."

Construction is slated to begin the week of Feb. 16, 2026, and is scheduled to conclude in early 2029. Motorists should expect various lane closures throughout the multi-year work; officials have not released a detailed phasing schedule for lane-by-lane work or temporary detours. The contractor on the $107.5 million contract is James Construction Group.

For Copperas Cove commuters, school traffic planners and local businesses that depend on through traffic, the work promises long-term relief from bottlenecks but will require patience in the short term. Converting a two-lane bypass to a four-lane divided highway aims to accommodate growth in travel demand and to smooth movements across the eastern edge of the city. The new overpass at FM 2657 seeks to reduce conflict points at a busy intersection that currently funnels local and regional traffic onto U.S. 190.

This Copperas Cove contract is one piece of TxDOT’s broader US 190 corridor work in Central Texas. TxDOT’s regional planning materials describe additional projects along US 190 through Harker Heights, Nolanville and Belton that would widen other segments and adjust entrance and exit ramps; those efforts include environmental reviews carried out under federal authorities. The Waco District maintains schematics and fact sheets for US 190 planning and can be contacted for project documents.

Residents seeking more information may contact TxDOT Waco District at 254-867-2739 or visit the district office at 100 S. Loop Drive, Waco, TX 76704 for project maps, fact sheets, typical sections and schematics. Note that local reports use both "Clark Road" and "Clarke Road" for the western project limit; readers with precise property- or travel-related concerns should confirm the correct road name and exact limits with TxDOT before making plans.

As crews mobilize in mid-February, expect rolling work zones and intermittent closures that will change daily patterns in the Cove. The widening will reshape a familiar stretch of U.S. 190 over the next three years, trading short-term disruption for longer-term capacity and connectivity improvements.