Bryan-College Station

Understand

College Station and Bryan together make up the Bryan-College Station metropolitan area, the sixteenth largest Metropolitan area in Texas with around 273,000 people (2019). This area is also known as "Aggieland", as it is home to the main campus of Texas A&M University, one of the premier universities of Texas and the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. The city of College Station owes its name and existence to the university's location along the railroad. However, the Amtrak train station was decommissioned in 1995.

Get in

By bus

There is a Greyhound Bus Station in Bryan, which is covered by the local bus route.

By car

For most people, travel to Bryan-College Station is done almost exclusively by automobile. There are three primary highways that pass either through or near the town: U.S. Route 190, Texas State Highway 6, and Texas State Highway 21. U.S. Route 190 passes across the northern portions of Bryan in an east-west direction. Travelling east leads to Madisonville (where it joins Interstate 45 briefly), Huntsville, Livingston, Jasper, and eventually crossing the Texas-Louisiana border continuing through Baton Rouge, while travelling west leads people to cross Interstate 35 and connect with the cities of Temple and Killeen. SH-6, sometimes referred to as the Earl Rudder Freeway in College Station, travels in a generally north-south direction. Travelling north on SH-6 leads to the towns of Hearne, Waco and the I-35 corridor, and eventually to the Red River Junction on the Texas-Oklahoma border; travelling south leads towards Navasota and eventually Houston and Galveston (after joining US-290 in Hempstead and turning in an easterly direction. SH-21 travels in a general east-west direction. Going east leads towards Madisonville and its junction with Interstate 45, Crockett and Nacogdoches; travelling west on SH-21 leads to the towns of Bastrop and San Marcos, where travelers can then take Interstate 35 to head north into Austin or south into San Antonio.

In addition, there are many additional highways that connect through the two towns or neighboring communities. State Highway 30 connects the eastern portion of College Station towards Huntsville and the I-45 corridor. State Highway 50 passes south of College Station, going in a north-south direction and connecting Hearne with Brenham. Texas Farm to Market Road 60, sometimes referred to as Raymond Stotzer Parkway or University Drive in College Station, runs through College Station and borders Texas A&M University and Northgate in the city.

By plane

• Easterwood Airport (CLL) is in the south-western part of College Station, adjacent to Texas A&M University. Easterwood provides multiple scheduled flights daily to Dallas/Fort Worth and Houston. However, it is significantly more expensive to fly directly to College Station compared to flying into larger airports nearby.
• George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) is the closest international airport, located in the northern part of Houston, Texas, approximately 1.5 hours from College Station off of Interstate Highway 45 and Beltway 8. IAH is a major hub for United. Shuttle buses operate every 90 minutes between College Station and IAH. The fare is $50 and buses run from 5:30am to 5:30pm (until 9pm going from IAH to Bryan-College Station).

By train

Not an option: Amtrak service to Bryan-College Station ended in 1995. There are no plans to return train service.

Get around

By car

This area is easily navigable by car. The major highways are as follows:

• State Highway 6: Earl Rudder Freeway
• State Highway 6 (Business): Texas Avenue
• University Drive
• Villa Maria Road
• Briarcrest Drive
• State Highway 21
• Harvey Road
• William D. Fitch Parkway
• State Highway 47
• Wellborn Road
• George Bush Drive
• 2818: Harvey Mitchell Parkway

Traffic has become something of a problem over the past decade, particularly when school is in session.

By bus

• The District provides public bus transportation in the Bryan/College Station area.
• Texas A&M Transportation Services provides bus transportation throughout College Station and Bryan for students, faculty, and staff of Texas A&M University. On Texas A&M football game days, the department provides additional park-and-ride service to and from Kyle Field.

Parking

Parking is free in most of the city. The major exceptions are the Texas A&M University campus and the adjacent bar-rich Northgate District, which have a combination of on-street parking meters, pay lots, permit-only lots and for-pay parking garages. Unauthorized parking either on or off campus generally results in a ticket and occasionally a tow. Parking on grass/dirt is an ordinance violation in College Station. The City also issues parking citations for parking your vehicle facing traffic. Neighborhood on-street parking in the Southgate District is restricted on (football) game days in the fall.