BY JACQUELYN BURRER
What it means
Looking ahead
Town and county o cials said they hope these improvements will also ease congestion and reduce accidents along the corridor. Since 2019, annual daily tra c near the intersec- tion with Gee Road has increased by just over 50%, according to TxDOT data. Bristol said he hopes the improvement proj- ect will also reduce tra c accidents. Crashes in Prosper on US 380 increased by nearly 40% between 2020 and 2022, which is the same year construction began, according to Prosper Police Department data. Although accident reports have declined slightly in recent years, total crashes have remained higher than preconstruction levels. Williams said some businesses have also struggled due to construction-related tra c and hazards, but he said he hopes they’ll start to see some relief as the project wraps up. Xin Dong, owner of The Tutoring Center loca- tion near US 380 and FM 1385, said she initially
US 380 average daily vehicle count
While the Denton County portion of US 380 is nearing completion, additional construction is still expected across the corridor in Collin County. Grant said a start date on the Collin County portion in east Prosper is not available at this time, as TxDOT is still working to identify funding for the project. The total cost to widen and improve US 380 in Collin County is estimated at around $8 billion, Grant said. “The goal is to have a freeway from county line to county line,” Daugherty said. “Now, it’s a matter of implementing it, which takes time and money.” Ewings said the town must relocate utilities along US 380 between Coit and Custer roads by June 2028. He said while the utility relocation should not impact tra c ow, town o cials expect the next phase to increase congestion on US 380 again.
50K
49K
40K
32.4K
30K
20K
10K
0
2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
SOURCE: TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION COMMUNITY IMPACT
avoided driving on US 380 but has grown more optimistic since the overpasses opened. “I’m just very excited to see all those [over- passes] as a resident and as a business owner right here,” Dong said.
“The improvement of [US] 380 is a huge milestone for the town of Prosper, both for our local commute as well as the regional commute. … Little incremental
Collin County population, tra c projections
The big picture
Population
Vehicles per day on US 380
Clarence Daugherty, Collin County engineering director, said the rapid population growth across the county has signi cantly impacted roadway capacity and travel times. Collin County’s pop- ulation has increased by nearly 22% since 2020, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. “It’s amazing how much impact this increased growth rate is having on us,” Daugherty said. “The growth pressures have just made us just keep pushing, so now you just can’t move fast enough.”
2M
1.9M
improvements eventually will get us to where we need to be.” DAVID BRISTOL, PROSPER MAYOR
1.5M
1M
1.2M
500K
114.4K
49K
0
2050
2024
SOURCES: TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, TEXAS DEMOGRAPHIC CENTER COMMUNITY IMPACT
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PROSPER CELINA EDITION
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