TX: New SH 5/Greenville Av alignment S of McKinney

[Brian556]

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=33.137407,-96.642051&spn=0.024041,0.050125&t=h&z=15

Notice the new street called "Fairview Pkwy" It appears that it is going to be part of SH 5/Greenville Av when complete. Since SH 5 now ends just south of this area at Exchange Pkwy, I'm thinkin' that the southern endpoint may be moved up and this will end up being just a city street.

[austrini]

Fairview Parkway is planned as a realignment to the west of SH 5. However, they changed the 2005 comprehensive plan to put their "downtown" next to Stacy Road instead of next to 121 to complement the new Allen events center and so it put Fairview Parkway north of Exchange on the back burner. Its not funded or anything.

The idea was after the re-alignment is complete to have SH 5 end at the Fairview City Limit, but it will be a while.

/county employee

[txstateends]

I figured Fairview would do what's already been done in Richardson, Plano, and most of Allen--do away with the TX 5 assignment all together and have it end at US 75/TX 121 (taking in Spur 399 in the process).

I can understand Fairview wanting a new north-south alignment of the main artery between the north end of Allen and the south side of McKinney.  After all the years of the blind S-curve underpass beneath the low-clearance former Southern Pacific rail line (scaring a much much younger version of yours truly every time my folks had to go to McKinney for something and took me with them), they'd rather have a nice and less-eventful corridor through that part of town (although the rail bridge above the current TX 5 has been removed in recent years).  Before that removal, an MYS (medium(-sized) yellow sign) was posted at the nearest signed turnoffs north (FM 1378) and south (FM 2786) on TX 5 warning of the S-curve and low-clearance under the railroad bridge.

[Brian556]

Quote from jczart:

Fairview Parkway is planned as a realignment to the west of SH 5. However, they changed the 2005 comprehensive plan to put their "downtown" next to Stacy Road instead of next to 121 to complement the new Allen events center and so it put Fairview Parkway north of Exchange on the back burner. Its not funded or anything.

The idea was after the re-alignment is complete to have SH 5 end at the Fairview City Limit, but it will be a while.

/county employee

Thanks for the info, man

[Brian556]

This pic was taken on Fairview Pkwy, looking S towards the SH 5 (Greenville Av) / FM 2786 (Stacy Rd) intersection. I wonder how many years this signal will sit un-used? ii looks like it's gonna be a while before they finish the northern part of Fairview Pkwy.

[Road Hog]

Looks to me like Fairview Parkway will continue north, paralleling the railroad (which will eventually be a DART line extension) and reconnecting with TX 5 north of the old underpass.

I am curious about the abandoned railroad, however. The tracks are still there, even though Fairview Parkway appears to have been built across them at grade with no separation and the TX 5 underpass is dismantled. Did the city simply not account for a future light rail line? North of McKinney, the railway is still an active freight line up to Sherman.

[Brian556]

You are right about the future alignment of Fairview Pkwy. Maybe they are planning to have an at-grade crossing there. Light Rail trains are very short, and don't take long to cross, therefore don't hold up traffic like freight trains do.

A similar situation occoured in Corinth on Corinth Pkwy at the old MKT ROW. When Corinth Pkwy was constructed, the ROW was in use as a trail, so a pedestrian underpass was built. When the tracks were put back, the tunnel was removed, and an at-grade crossing was built. This required moving the frontage road over, and creating a too-steep grade between the overpass and the I-35E frontage road intersection.

Google maps satellite view shows the new configuration, street view shows the old configuration.
http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=33.15198,-97.058992&spn=0.001502,0.003133&t=h&z=19