Temple ISD Kennedy-Powell Elementary School New Driveway

The Temple Independent School District (TISD) contracted MRB Group for professional civil engineering services to design a new driveway for Kennedy-Powell Elementary School, located at 3703 West Nugent Avenue in Temple, TX. An expansion is underway on the north end of the campus, with an additional expansion planned for the south end in the coming years.

Due to limited on-site drive lanes, the school had been facing congestion issues with vehicle traffic during peak times (drop-off and pick-up). This resulted in traffic backing up on Nugent Avenue and Cearley Drive, sometimes extending to Highway 36 and beyond. To alleviate the congestion, the District needed to design and construct a new drive-around, including a new fire lane required for the upcoming expansion on the south side of the campus. In addition, the project needed to be completed before the start of the Fall 2025 school year.

The design features a new 30-foot-wide driveway with laydown curbs to accommodate one vehicle, a 20-foot-wide fire lane, and the necessary grading. The additional 1,420-foot-long driveway extends from West Nugent Avenue around the east and south sides of the school and connects to the existing driveway on the west side of the school. Maintaining the budget for drainage was challenging, but MRB Group utilized transitions of ribbon curb and stand-up curb to help push water to more desired locations for better disbursement, avoiding added cost.

MRB Group provided the design of the driveway, conducted topography and GIS assessments, performed a stormwater and drainage analysis, and prepared construction documentation.

Big Idea

To improve safety and alleviate severe traffic congestion during student drop-off and pick-up times at Kennedy-Powell Elementary School