NEEDING LANES
The Texas Department of Transportation has identi ed the Blue Alternative, consisting of Segments A, E and C, as its preferred alignment for the US 380 bypass project in north McKinney. The bypass alignment is routed through a high- growth area of Collin County with an abundance of existing and planned development.
Development
SEGMENT A
ERWIN PARK
201
BAXTER WELL RD.
Zoning Preliminary plat
$957.8M
5
201
SEGMENT E
Plats
123
$784.2M
1461
123
COLLIN COUNTY COURTHOUSE
164
Site plans
161
Alignments
BLOOMDALE RD.
1461
SEGMENT B
Past alignment option
MCKINNEY NORTH HIGH SCHOOL
SEGMENT C
Preferred alignment
WILMETH RD.
124
$1.13B
MAINGATE THERAPEUTIC HORSEMANSHIP
WILMETH RD.
MCKINNEY FIRE STATION 9
143
Area of interest
TUCKER HILL NEIGHBORHOOD
THE CHASE AT WILSON CREEK DEVELOPMENT
SEGMENT D
COMMUNITY AVE.
380
380
2933
1827
75
VIRGINIA DR.
5
380
AIRPORT DR.
MAP NOT TO SCALE N
SHIFTING GEARS
22 RESIDENTIAL, 35 COMMERCIAL & 10 OTHER potential displacements
STONEBRIDGE DR. 114,400 daily travelers on US 380 by 2050
662 ACRES estimated to be acquired through right-of-way
411% increase in crashes on US 380 between 2012-2019
SOURCE: TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION COMMUNITY IMPACT
considered the project along US 380, including portions spanning well out- side of McKinney’s borders. “We’re looking at this as a regional picture; we’re trying to go from Den- ton to Greenville,” Schein said. The bypass would consist of an eight-lane, controlled-access freeway with two-lane frontage roads in each direction. The width and number of lanes is determined by projected tra c demand and would require an average of 420 feet of right-of-way, according to TxDOT o cials. “One advantage [of a con- trolled-access highway] is there is an opportunity for higher speeds, a safer opportunity to navigate traf- c through the area and more,” said Travis Campbell, TxDOT’s direc- tor of transportation planning and development. Bypassing congestion An April 2020 feasibility study from TxDOT identi ed the growth in central Collin County, including growth in the city of McKinney, has caused increased congestion on US 380. TxDOT has also ranked the Collin County portion of US 380 from Coit Road to FM 1827 at its lowest level of service, meaning the road has unstable tra c ow and signi cant delays. “There must be a [US] 380 bypass. … Our thoroughfare congestion right now is untenable,” McKinney Mayor George Fuller said. Tra c congestion in fast-growing
Collin County is only expected to get worse. By 2050, an average of 89,100 daily vehicles are expected to travel US 380 on the east side of US 75, according to TxDOT. The west side is expected to see an additional 114,400 daily vehicles. Comparatively, US 380 saw a daily average of 87,500 cars traveling on both sides of US 75 in 2017. This increased congestion is tied to the county’s anticipated growth. In 2020, Collin County had 1.06 mil- lion residents. By 2050, the number of Collin County residents is expected to more than double to 2.46 million, according to TxDOT. Following the completion of the fea- sibility study, there have been various potential alignments presented, both from TxDOT and a ected cities. Recent plans have identi ed two western and two eastern alignment options. The east-west portion that will run parallel to existing US 380, entitled Segment E, will connect the selected eastern and western alignments. The alignment that TxDOT identi- ed as its preferred bypass alignment in a draft environmental impact state- ment is referred to as the Blue Alter- native and consists of Segments A, C and E. This alignment is estimated to cost about $2.87 billion, according to TxDOT documents. This alignment will potentially a ect or displace 35 businesses and 22 residential properties. “We want to make the least amount of impact, but someone is going to be
impacted,” Schein said. Western segments
CONTINUED FROM 1
Following this period, TxDOT o - cials will continue with further anal- ysis of the alignments along with considering the public feedback, TxDOT Public Information O cer Madison Schein said. A record of decision, which will nalize the route for the bypass, is expected to be released by the end of 2023. If project funding is secured, con- struction could begin as soon as 2027. TxDOT has identi ed the Blue Alterna- tive as its preferred route, consisting of Segments A, C and E. McKinney o - cials and community members prefer routes that incorporate various seg- ments that have been presented. The project began in 2016 when the Collin County Commissioners Court determined additional freeway infra- structure was needed in the area, according to Collin County Director of Engineering Clarence Daugherty. The region’s growth was a primary factor in determining the need for the bypass, Daugherty said. Between 2010 and 2020, Collin County grew by about 36% to over 1 million residents, according the U.S. Census Bureau. The court presented the project to TxDOT, which moved forward with a feasibility study on the project in 2017, Daugherty said. “It’s something that we should have really worked on 10, 20 years ago,” he said of the proposed freeway. TxDOT o cials have since
The western segment of the bypass consists of two options: Segment A and Segment B. In 2020, McKinney o cials expressed support for Seg- ment B, a more gradual connection from existing US 380 to Segment E that is routed through Prosper. Prosper o cials preferred Segment A, a more direct route from existing US 380 to Segment E that is routed through McKinney. Prosper opposes Segment B due to its con ict with the town’s existing master thoroughfare plan and potential e ects to existing and future development, according to the town’s website. “The town of Prosper continues to support TxDOT’s preferred ‘Blue Alignment’ and encourages swift action to alleviate the tra c conges- tion on US 380,” Prosper Mayor David Bristol said in a statement. McKinney o cials’ preference for Segment B was motivated by it a ecting fewer properties and having fewer environmental e ects, McKin- ney City Manager Paul Grimes said. “We have communities like Tucker Hill where this bypass will go right through their front door … [and then] cut them o from the incorporated area of the city that they’re so much a part of,” Fuller said. “You didn’t have any situation like that in Prosper.” Segment A is over $150 million more expensive than Segment B,
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