Huntsville, Texas traffic could be compared, like day and night between the city and Sam Houston State University. The traffic problem is almost nonexistent during the summer, as students go back home to their hometowns. However, when students arrive back for the semester, traffic once again becomes a problem.

Over the past two years, students have not seen the full extent of how bad it can get due to Sam Houston State University not running at full capacity. But with Sam Houston State University back at full capacity, the university and city of Huntsville had experienced an influx of drivers on its roads that have not been seen since spring of 2020.

Much like the population during the summer, the road system in Huntsville is designed for a much smaller population. The influx of thousands of students quickly leads to bad traffic problems for the city.

Issues are especially bad in the market areas by Target, Walmart and the bridge that leads from those locations to residential areas during peak hours around 5 p.m.

Much of these problems can be avoided if students are smart about when and where they drive in Huntsville. Avoiding areas with lots of shops during peak hours will save new students a lot of time waiting in lines to get out of the market areas.

New students might also benefit from avoiding the one-way roads that loop the market area. For example, if you miss your turn to Walmart, you will be forced to loop all the way back around the one-way road system because there are no other lots that connect to Walmart.

Taking back roads through residential instead of the main roads like Sam Houston Avenue can also help students avoid morning rush to class traffic.

While the road system in Huntsville can at times struggle to keep up with the student population, there are ways around those tricky one-ways and backroads that come with the small town.