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[DNAguy]

Property tax talk no going away.

[MaxConcrete]

The EA for the westernmost section is posted
https://www.keepitmovingdallas.com/US380ProsperFriscoWidening

Highlights

• Section is 5.9 miles, from 2.3 miles west of the Dallas North Tollway to 3.6 miles east of DNT
• Estimated cost is $842 million, which is $143 million per mile
• Freeway is mostly 3x3, except at the DNT where there are additional lanes. There is a continous 32-foot-wide median to add two lanes in the future.
• 5-level interchange at DNT
• Right-of-way width is mostly between 350 and 360 feet, with a much wider section over 500 feet wide adjacent to the DNT on both sides of DNT. The ROW width is narrow (around 370 feet) at Preston road for no apparent reason - there is plenty of vacant land. Of course I would rather see a minimum 400 foot wide corridor, but due to the lack of planning to preserve the corridor some compromises needed to be made.
• There is a three-level interchange at Preston, with US 380 on the top level.
• For all of the corridor except the far east end, all ROW acquisition (152 acres) is on the south side due to a City of Irving easement on the north side of US 380 for most of this section, all except the far east end. The easement is around 100 feet wide and has a 6-foot water main.
• Frontage roads have high-capacity designs at intersections.
• Overall the schematic looks good.

[Bobby5280]

It's easy to understand why they can't extend the US-380 freeway any farther West than Teel Parkway / Championship Drive. US-380 has become pretty covered up with retail development (and landscaping) just West of that intersection. Of course the entire surrounding area in that location has been blockaded by residential development. Any hopes for extending a US-380 freeway farther West closer to Denton would pretty much have to be built as an elevated structure above the existing highway.

[thisdj78]

It's easy to understand why they can't extend the US-380 freeway any farther West than Teel Parkway / Championship Drive. US-380 has become pretty covered up with retail development (and landscaping) just West of that intersection. Of course the entire surrounding area in that location has been blockaded by residential development. Any hopes for extending a US-380 freeway farther West closer to Denton would pretty much have to be built as an elevated structure above the existing highway.

The landscaping and sidewalks look like they’re on the US-380 ROW, so I imagine that is an easier barrier to overcome. The retail locations look like they sit back far enough that they would just need to sacrifice some of the outer parking lot that lines the ROW. It would be tight but possible.

[MaxConcrete]

It's easy to understand why they can't extend the US-380 freeway any farther West than Teel Parkway / Championship Drive. US-380 has become pretty covered up with retail development (and landscaping) just West of that intersection. Of course the entire surrounding area in that location has been blockaded by residential development. Any hopes for extending a US-380 freeway farther West closer to Denton would pretty much have to be built as an elevated structure above the existing highway.

The study for US 380 in Denton County (from west of DNT to Denton) revealed its recommendation in November 2021. A new freeway on the existing alignment is the selected option, which was the best possible outcome of the study.

https://www.keepitmovingdallas.com/US380DentonPM3

The presentation at the link above says the corridor will be 350 to 400 feet wide. You can view the schematics and see how the corridor is threaded between existing development and also displaces numerous strip malls, gas stations and fast food restaurants.

However, this freeway won't happen anytime soon. It is not in the NCTCOG 2045 plan. The proposed Denton County Outer Parkway, which is farther north and connects into the Collin County Outer Loop (which already has some frontage roads), is slated to be built in the 2030s. Of course, priorities can change. I'm thinking US 380 in Denton County may get built sooner if funding is available, or it could be tolled.

[Wayward Memphian]

McKinney is about to put a bond proposal to build a commercial passenger terminal up for a vote this May.
 This is coming on the heels of the Universal Kiddie amusement park and hotel announcement. These openings would likely coincide with each other. That puts 380  near US 75 in the crosshair for some immediate attention.

[Bobby5280]

However, this freeway won't happen anytime soon. It is not in the NCTCOG 2045 plan. The proposed Denton County Outer Parkway, which is farther north and connects into the Collin County Outer Loop (which already has some frontage roads), is slated to be built in the 2030s. Of course, priorities can change. I'm thinking US 380 in Denton County may get built sooner if funding is available, or it could be tolled.

Of course I've repeated this mantra many times before: the more years they put off building the freeway the more difficult and costly the project will end up being. I'm sure officials at TX DOT are well aware of this truth. Officials in Denton and Collin County governments are likely aware of it as well.

Nevertheless, the fact remains that area of the DFW metroplex is still growing rapidly. Their US-380 study from Loop 288 in Denton to the US-380 intersection with Legacy Drive is going to have a fairly short shelf life of accuracy.

When looking at the five roll plots showing the proposed freeway's path, it does show a significant number of existing (and somewhat new) commercial properties will have to be bought and cleared out of the wider ROW. It's very doubtful Denton County Commissioners are imposing any restrictions on any new development projects that want to hug right up on the existing US-380 ROW. When looking at Google Earth time line imagery the 6/2022 image shows a shit ton of new development going in immediately West of the Tell Parkway/Championship Drive intersection. It's all getting built up next to the current ROW and utility easement. It's all but certain far more properties will be built next to US-380 between now and the 2040's. Hell, there could be tall office buildings lining parts of the road for all we know. Local elected leaders don't care so much about a highway that could potentially be built 20 years from now. They care more about making property deals now and are more than willing to make short-sighted concessions to close those deals.

The Collin County Outer Loop will not be able to function as a replacement for a US-380 freeway. That would be as if someone expected the Bush Turnpike (TX-190) to replace the Sam Rayburn Tollway (TX-121). The portion of the proposed Collin County Outer Loop going North of McKinney is around 7 miles North of US-380.

The East End of the proposed US-380 freeway segment halfway between Denton and McKinney ends at Lakewood Drive. Even if/when a US-380 bypass is built North around McKinney I could see them still being forced to upgrade the remaining "University Drive" farther East. The freeway could be extended farther East across the intersections with Custer Road, Stonebridge Drive and Ridge Road. It could go even far across Lake Forest Drive and Hardin Blvd. It's mostly commercial properties lining the road through there. Even Raytheon's property on the South side of US-380/University Dr has a pretty good bit of open space. They could almost, but not quite make a US-380 freeway reach US-75.

[rtXC1]

TxDOT recently released a fly-through video. Doesn't look too bad, even if I despise any form of a loop for 380.

[motorola870]

Is TXDOT going to sign 380 business through McKinney or is University just going to be a city street?

[thisdj78]

Is TXDOT going to sign 380 business through McKinney or is University just going to be a city street?

If the flyover video is any indication, it will just be University Blvd, a city street.

[rte66man]

Nice US5 shield at 2:50 in the video.........

[Stephane Dumas]

Nice US5 shield at 2:50 in the video.........

Looks like we could imagine some jokes about US-5 being extended from New England to Texas now, lol.

[Chris]

Nevertheless, the fact remains that area of the DFW metroplex is still growing rapidly.

Here's 20 years of northward growth. Imagine what it would look like in 2040.

And what traffic would be like on US 380 by that time. Probably similar to the Sam Rayburn Tollway, which needed to be expanded within a decade of completion.



In the early 2000s there was practically no development along US 380, even in McKinney it was pretty minimal west of US 75. Though I think they would've needed to bypass McKinney on a new alignment even if they did preserve a right of way west of US 75.

Given that both Frisco and McKinney now have a population of 200,000 each, and with Celina apparently having a build-out scenario of 380,000 people, a continuous freeway to I-30 could be warranted.

TxDOT has also released a design for US 380 at Farmersville.

[Road Hog]

That map is mesmerizing.

Lots has changed since 2000 for sure. US 380, SH 121 and SH 289 were still mostly 2-lane then, Stonebriar Mall was being built in the middle of stinking nowhere and the DNT stopped at SH 121. McKinney, Frisco and Prosper all still had one high school.

I think the growth caught TxDOT napping and they've been playing catch-up ever since.

(That rectangle that doesn't change in the middle is the Brinkmann Ranch in Frisco. It used to be the Box Ranch and they filmed some early episodes of Dallas there. The mansion burned down mysteriously in 1987.)

[Road Hog]

There is still a little bit of Frisco to build out, but the Universal project will take care of that. Prosper is kind of landlocked and will fill out quickly. Everything else north of 380 is fair game right now once interest rates drop a little.

[rte66man]

Putting this here. Mods, please move if appropriate:

Notice of Final Federal Agency Actions Spur 399 Extension Project in Texas
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2023-05-09/pdf/2023-09760.pdf

The Spur 399 Extension Project will construct an eight-lane freeway with frontage roads
connecting US 75 with US 380. The project will add one travel lane in each direction and an exit ramp within the
existing SH 5 corridor extending from the US 75/SH 5/SRT–SH 121 junction to approximately 1,500 feet south of the
intersection of FM 546/Harry McKillop Boulevard and SH 5. The project will then extend Spur 399 east on new
location crossing Airport Drive/Old Mill Road and continuing further east and south around the southern end of the
Airport, then turning north near CR 317 to connect to US 380 east of the Airport.
The project is approximately 6.25 miles in length.