US-75 Construction in Sherman, TX

[ZLoth]

Anyone know when the US-75 Construction in Sherman, TX will be completed? TXDot website doesn't list anything, and there isn't a dedicated website.

[Road Hog]

Anyone know when the US-75 Construction in Sherman, TX will be completed? TXDot website doesn't list anything, and there isn't a dedicated website.

Construction is well underway and it's a mess. It'll be mid-2024 before it's finished.

[ZLoth]

Construction is well underway and it's a mess. It'll be mid-2024 before it's finished.

Yup, drove through there yesterday. One of two major construction projects on that highway that I had to drive through with patience.

[Chris]

TxDOT has a statewide 'project tracker' which features some info on projects, including those without a dedicated website: https://apps3.txdot.gov/apps-cq/project_tracker/

In case of US 75 in Sherman, the estimated completion date is 'TBD', so that doesn't help much.

[Bobby5280]

When the US-75 project in Sherman is finished it apparently will feature 3 lanes in each direction. It's too bad they're not widening it to four lanes for each direction. I think that location will need the added capacity in the not so distant future. They may even be forced to do some serious business relocation work on the corners of that volleyball interchange with US-82 in order to start adding flyover ramps in phases.

Will US-75 be widened up thru Denison? The Grayson County Toll Road (which leads into the Dallas North Tollway) will eventually be extended to US-75 on the North side of Denison.

[Road Hog]

When the US-75 project in Sherman is finished it apparently will feature 3 lanes in each direction. It's too bad they're not widening it to four lanes for each direction. I think that location will need the added capacity in the not so distant future. They may even be forced to do some serious business relocation work on the corners of that volleyball interchange with US-82 in order to start adding flyover ramps in phases.

Will US-75 be widened up thru Denison? The Grayson County Toll Road (which leads into the Dallas North Tollway) will eventually be extended to US-75 on the North side of Denison.

The Toll Road is probably 25-30 years away from build-out. They haven't even finished at US 380 yet.

TxDOT will look at expanding 75 to 6 lanes to the Red River once traffic justifies it.

[Bobby5280]

A lot more is being done than simply stopping the DNT at US-380. In the near future the DNT will be extended up to FM-428. A second pair of frontage road lanes was added to Dallas Parkway up to FM-428 a few years ago. Work is underway to extend Dallas Parkway and future DNT ROW from FM-428 up to FM-121. From there the Grayson County Toll Road would take over the rest of the way to US-75 in Denison. The DNT probably would have been built past FM-428 already if not for the need to add more lanes farther South.

Construction on the Grayson County Toll Road from Gunter on Northward could potentially go much faster than DNT projects since there isn't as much residential and commercial development in the highway's path -at least for the time being. To save money and secure ROW faster they could just build the highway initially as a limited access Super 2 and then add in the second roadway later.

TxDOT will look at expanding 75 to 6 lanes to the Red River once traffic justifies it.

It doesn't already? There's a ridiculous amount of semi truck traffic on that highway. The Choctaw Casino & Resort South of Durant is drawing more traffic. There is been a hell of a lot of expansion at that casino complex in the last few years.

[Road Hog]

When TxDOT extended SH 289 to Pottsboro a decade ago, they preserved a wide ROW for the Grayson County Tollway starting just south of SH 56 in Southmayd and continuing north past US 82. I'm not sure how far north, because the Tollway will eventually have to bypass Perrin Field to either the north or south. Future tolls will be used to pay off the ROW purchase. The Tollway will eventually subsume SH 289 in this section. That was smart.

[Bobby5280]

According to this overall project map, the "recommended preferred alignment" of the Grayson County Tollway won't overlap TX-289 at all.
https://ftp.txdot.gov/pub/txdot-info/par/grayson_tollway/gct_route/overall_map.pdf

Some portions of TX-289 from Celina up to Pottsboro do have room for possible expansion to a 4-lane divided freeway. But much of it will consist as a suburban surface arterial.

[Road Hog]

According to this overall project map, the "recommended preferred alignment" of the Grayson County Tollway won't overlap TX-289 at all.
https://ftp.txdot.gov/pub/txdot-info/par/grayson_tollway/gct_route/overall_map.pdf

Some portions of TX-289 from Celina up to Pottsboro do have room for possible expansion to a 4-lane divided freeway. But much of it will consist as a suburban surface arterial.

That's interesting. The map dates from August 2011, so it could have been superseded. I just know I drive SH 289 on a regular basis and the ROW is there all the way up to US 82. I also seem to recall in local media Grayson County Commissioners approving "pass-through tolling" to pay for extending 289. So there's a disconnect somewhere among agencies.

[Bobby5280]

I think that's still the latest map for the Grayson County Tollway preferred alignment. I tried looking around to find any new updates to the alignment. The Denison, TX ABC affiliate (KTEN) posted this article a couple or so weeks ago and it includes an image of that PDF map from 2011:
https://www.kten.com/story/47424248/dallas-north-tollway-takes-aim-at-grayson-county

That Grayson County Tollway study web site had an older PDF from 2010 showing various alignment possibilities. It did show one alignment overlapping TX-289 in a blue line:
https://ftp.txdot.gov/pub/txdot-info/par/grayson_tollway/alternative_alignments.pdf

[-- US 175 --]

New report from the last few days...hint, now they're saying next year (weather problems are the main excuse).

https://www.kxii.com/2023/05/03/highway-75-construction-sees-new-expected-completion-date/

[ZLoth]

New report from the last few days...hint, now they're saying next year (weather problems are the main excuse).

https://www.kxii.com/2023/05/03/highway-75-construction-sees-new-expected-completion-date/

Sigh... Thank you for the update.

[Bobby5280]

I don't think the various highway planners understand just how fast certain regions in Texas are growing, such as the DFW metroplex. They're proceeding at a very conservative pace, as if their world-view of the situation is based on the 1970's. They have fallen so far behind on so many corridors.

[Stephane Dumas]

possibilities. It did show one alignment overlapping TX-289 in a blue line:
https://ftp.txdot.gov/pub/txdot-info/par/grayson_tollway/alternative_alignments.pdf

Interesting map, one of the proposed alternative alignments showed an alignment where the tollway would have used a gap of US-82 and even US-75.

I'll fall in fictionnal part, but I wonder if a western spur of that tollway reaching US-377 just south of Lake Texoma could be possible?

[Bobby5280]

Currently such a western spur to US-377 is possible, if the spur starts from the Grayson County Tollway. I think it would be important to avoid any of the US-377 bridge crossings over the Eastern edges of Lake Ray Roberts.

Another question would be: where would this spur connect into US-377? South of Whitesboro maybe? I definitely believe 100% the US-82 corridor between Gainesville and Sherman needs some segments upgraded to limited access and corridor protection elsewhere. It's going to turn into another difficult US-380 style mess if TX DOT farts around like they did with US-380. The Lake Texoma region is a popular tourist spot. As more casino development happens on the Oklahoma side and more giant projects happen in Northern reaches of DFW that's going to translate into a lot of new development around that lake region.

[rtXC1]

possibilities. It did show one alignment overlapping TX-289 in a blue line:
https://ftp.txdot.gov/pub/txdot-info/par/grayson_tollway/alternative_alignments.pdf

Interesting map, one of the proposed alternative alignments showed an alignment where the tollway would have used a gap of US-82 and even US-75.

I'll fall in fictionnal part, but I wonder if a western spur of that tollway reaching US-377 just south of Lake Texoma could be possible?

As a Denison resident, I'm not a fan of the option they went with. I'd have much rather seen N7 continue east along Spur 503, looping around the east side of Denison, and tie into 69/75 near the border. Heck, it could have been co-badged as 69 Toll for a big chunk of that area.

Now, a subdivision and park have been built near the flood plain along that path, and Spur 503 is being downgraded from a direct connector at US75 to a 4-way intersection. It's currently a limited-access freeway for a couple miles, but that may change in the future.

[Road Hog]

Any western spur of the Tollway would likely have to subsume and twin the Willis Bridge to be a viable option. Any hard west turn to I-35 south of Lake Texoma would just duplicate US 82.

[I-35]

Any western spur of the Tollway would likely have to subsume and twin the Willis Bridge to be a viable option. Any hard west turn to I-35 south of Lake Texoma would just duplicate US 82.

I contemplated a western spur of DNT a few years ago, but as a reliever for I-35.  That, in my opinion, is much more needed for southbound traffic from OKC and points beyond to provide easy access to the northern suburbs like Frisco, McKinney, Celina, Plano, et al.  It also provides an easier northbound connection for Dallas traffic headed in the opposite direction, and also a direct connection to the Winstar complex.

[Bobby5280]

An I-35 reliever route going East of Gainesville and tapping into the DNT would make sense. However I would not pin any hopes of Oklahoma funding and building any part of such a thing. I think the route would have to end on the South side of the Red River. It's similar to the plan of the Grayson County toll road hooking into US-75 just South of the Red River.

[I-35]

An I-35 reliever route going East of Gainesville and tapping into the DNT would make sense. However I would not pin any hopes of Oklahoma funding and building any part of such a thing. I think the route would have to end on the South side of the Red River. It's similar to the plan of the Grayson County toll road hooking into US-75 just South of the Red River.

Just a hunch, but I wonder if NTTA couldn't build and operate it under a concession arrangement with the state of Oklahoma.  Interoperability is in place for the toll systems, so that is not a limiting factor.  Total mainline mileage in OK would be under ten, I figure it could tie in just south of the BNSF overpass north of Thackerville.  The Chickasaw tribe may well fund the interchange with Winstar Blvd.

[Bobby5280]

There is a lot of "if" factors in that scenario.

I think the only way the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority (or ODOT) would agree to any kind of collaborative agreement is if the NTTA paid for the whole project. The OTA and ODOT already have their plates full with other project needs aside from having to worry about co-funding a new Red River bridge crossing a short distance from I-35.

I think the Chickasaw Tribe would prefer customer traffic coming up from Texas to keep coming up via I-35. That's where the brick and mortar "face" of WinStar is oriented. Another super highway entering Oklahoma around a mile or two West of the casino would require them to build new access roads, signs, etc.

[I-35]

There is a lot of "if" factors in that scenario.

I think the only way the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority (or ODOT) would agree to any kind of collaborative agreement is if the NTTA paid for the whole project. The OTA and ODOT already have their plates full with other project needs aside from having to worry about co-funding a new Red River bridge crossing a short distance from I-35.

I think the Chickasaw Tribe would prefer customer traffic coming up from Texas to keep coming up via I-35. That's where the brick and mortar "face" of WinStar is oriented. Another super highway entering Oklahoma around a mile or two West of the casino would require them to build new access roads, signs, etc.

Maybe.  Of course it could open up more real estate for development, but that could be anywhere a new interchange is constructed.  The main reason for tying DNT into 35 here is to avoid some of the topographic and congestion issues north of Gainesville.  It's very similar to the 35/130 split north of Georgetown in that regard.

[The Ghostbuster]

Is there an actual proposal to spilt the Dallas North Turnpike into two spurs: one to US 75, and the other to Interstate 35? Or is the one to 75 real, and the one to 35 fictional?

[I-35]

Is there an actual proposal to spilt the Dallas North Turnpike into two spurs: one to US 75, and the other to Interstate 35? Or is the one to 75 real, and the one to 35 fictional?

The one to 35 is fictional.  The one to 75 is in the planning stages by the GCTA (Grayson County).