The City of College Station has three projects scheduled on the Midtown side of William D. Fitch Parkway. If you live in Pebble Creek, you'll run into all three. The Fitch Parkway rehabilitation is expected to finish by mid-December 2026. Texas Independence Park, at 6904 Rock Prairie Road East, is targeted to open in December 2027. The reconstruction of Rock Prairie Road East, from Town Lake Drive to Fitch, has a two-year construction window running from fall 2027 into 2029.
Read separately, each one looks like a routine city update. Line them up and the schedule has a clear shape. The park's opening and the start of the Rock Prairie Road East rebuild land within a few months of each other. If you're planning when to use the new park, also check whether the road crews have arrived.
Fitch Parkway Finishes First
The City's 2018 Midtown Business Park plan describes that tract as running along State Highway 6. It's roughly bounded by William D. Fitch Parkway and Rock Prairie Road, with a single-family neighborhood to the south. For Pebble Creek, that means everything in this post sits across Fitch Parkway.
Fitch has been under repair in stages. The first phase, from Tonkaway Lake Drive to State Highway 30, was finished in November 2025. On September 8, 2026, the City announced that work on the final section, from Williams Creek Drive to Rock Prairie Road, would begin that Wednesday. Traffic through the work zone switched from alternating one-way to continuous two-way, and access to the Williams Creek subdivision entrance stays open. The City expects the section to be finished by mid-December.
As of early October, that leaves about ten weeks of work on the stretch closest to Lick Creek Park. The City is asking drivers to allow extra travel time and use other routes when they can. If you're heading to the Haunted Hike at Lick Creek Park on Friday, October 16, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., plan for that. We covered the rest of the park's fall programming in our post on Lick Creek Park's events calendar.
After mid-December, Fitch should be done with the rehabilitation crews. The next project on this side of the parkway changes the shape of the neighborhood more than the commute.
A Park Built on the Site of a Canceled Ballpark
Texas Independence Park took a long time to arrive. In November 2022, the City broke ground on the Texas Independence Ballpark, a $23 million project for the Midtown area. Weeks later, record rainfall changed the soil conditions on the site. After more testing in early 2023, City staff concluded the ground couldn't support a ballpark, and fixing the soil would have cost at least $10 million more. By August 2023, the City had stopped the project with $5 million already spent. The restroom building, sewer, water, and electrical work stayed on the site.
The City then surveyed the public about what should go there and got more than 400 responses. The answers ranged from trails and pickleball to a pool and a bike pump track. In August 2024, City Council unanimously approved a master plan based on that input. KBTX describes the park as 68 acres. Community Impact's summary of the City's June update refers to 120 acres of parkland on Rock Prairie Road, so the published size isn't consistent. The planned amenities include:
- A destination playground
- Two bike parks with a pump track, a dual elevated hub, wall rides, and surface flow trails
- A dog park
- A fishing pond
- An 18-hole disc golf course
- Natural-surface trails
- Picnic areas and parking
Part of the bike park money comes from a $750,000 Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission grant awarded in January 2025. On September 24, 2026, Council approved a contract amendment adding that grant's requirements to the project.
The construction contract came first. On July 23, Council approved a construction manager at risk amendment with Skanska USA Building for the first guaranteed maximum price package. That package is $6,852,842, plus a $200,000 City contingency. That contract covers only part of the park. The total project estimate was $25.3 million in the City's June 2026 project update. The state's accessibility registration lists $25.5 million, with an August 1, 2026 start and a December 31, 2027 completion. Those are scheduled dates. The public updates so far haven't confirmed how far work on the site has progressed.
A Midtown resident told KBTX after the vote, "I'm definitely excited for Independence Park. It's kind of the first step to the investment in Midtown." That investment has grown since. In September, Council approved agreements with Bass Pro Outdoor World and The Corinth Group for a 28-acre development in the Midtown Business Park. We explained what that means for Fitch Parkway traffic in our post on the field beside Castlegate's Costco.
Where the Schedules Overlap
Here are the three projects side by side, with dates as the City and local outlets have reported them:
| Project | Where | Scheduled window | What changes for Pebble Creek |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fitch Parkway rehabilitation, final section | Williams Creek Drive to Rock Prairie Road | Started week of Sept. 8, 2026; expected done mid-December 2026 | Work zone traffic on the stretch nearest Lick Creek Park ends |
| Texas Independence Park | 6904 Rock Prairie Road East | State registration lists Aug. 1, 2026 to Dec. 31, 2027; public opening targeted December 2027 | Dog park, disc golf, bike parks, and fishing pond across Fitch |
| Rock Prairie Road East reconstruction | Town Lake Drive to William D. Fitch Parkway | Fall 2027 through 2029 | Two-lane asphalt becomes three-lane concrete with bike lanes and sidewalks |
The park's address is on Rock Prairie Road East, the road scheduled for reconstruction. The park's target opening is December 2027. The road's construction window starts in fall 2027. KXXV reported an August 2027 start and a finish in fall 2029. The City's June update gives the window more generally as fall 2027 to 2029. If both hold, the park's first full year of public use would fall during the road rebuild.
Rock Prairie Road East Is the Longest of the Three
Rock Prairie Road East is the biggest change on paper and the longest project. The current two-lane asphalt road is set to become a three-lane concrete road with separated bike lanes, sidewalks on both sides, storm sewer, and street lighting. At the July 23 Council meeting, the project had a $26.6 million available budget, with about $1.9 million spent or committed so far. The City's capital projects page still shows an older $16.1 million figure. The July Council number is the more recent one.
Once it's built, the road would have a continuous bike and sidewalk connection from Town Lake Drive down to Fitch. It would run alongside a park with two bike parks and a pump track. Those two projects were planned separately, but they fit together. A road with separated bike lanes leading to a park built partly around bikes is a different trip from the Rock Prairie Road East of today.
The public updates so far don't explain how traffic will be handled during the rebuild. They also don't say how access to Lick Creek Park or nearby neighborhood entrances will work while it's underway. Any guess about lane closures or detours this early would be speculation. Expect those details closer to fall 2027.
What's Still Unsettled
A few items are still open:
- Whether ground has broken at Texas Independence Park. The contract is approved, and the state registration lists an August 1 start. As of early October, the public updates haven't reported progress on the site.
- The Rock Prairie Road East start date. KXXV reported August 2027. The City's June update says fall 2027. Either way, the window begins within months of the park's target opening.
- The Station baseball complex. Council approved a nonbinding letter of intent in February 2026 for a baseball and softball facility in Midtown. It sits on a different Midtown parcel from the park. As of KBTX's July report, it was still in negotiations, with no construction timeline.
The closest date is the one Pebble Creek drivers will notice first. If the City's schedule holds, the Fitch Parkway work zone between Williams Creek Drive and Rock Prairie Road clears by mid-December 2026.
At Life On The Brazos, we follow these city schedules because they show up in daily routines long before they show up in market reports. If you'd like to know how the projects across Fitch Parkway might affect your Pebble Creek home over the next few years, Laura Lea Smith is happy to talk through the timing with you. Schedule a Free Consultation & Home Valuation whenever you're ready.
