DFW: Collin County Northeast Freeway

[rtXC1]

Not sure if this has been posted yet, but I couldn't find anything on here. Planning has begun on a new freeway connecting the new US 380 loop north of Princeton to SH 121 at Westminster.

https://www.collincountynortheastfreeway.com/

[MaxConcrete]

Actually there is a thread for future Collin County freeways, but this project justifies its own thread since it has meetings.

This study moved very fast to identify the recommended corridor, which is shown below. While the universe of alternatives (see meeting slides) had some very straight options, I think the recommended alternative is good outcome, about as good as I can hope for these days.

Another item of big news is that they appear to have scrapped the southward extension, from US 380 to the Bush Turnpike. The terminus of the recommended section is not amenable to being extended southward. On October 6, 2025, I posted in the other thread, showing an image (copied below) that there was a $13 million feasibility study slated to be done for the south section. Maybe they didn't need a feasibility study to determine that it is infeasible. That section would have been very difficult and expensive. With all the development in that area, it's too late to plan a freeway. You snooze, you lose.

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Here is the listing with the studies. The second item is for the south section which appears to be scrapped.
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[rtXC1]

Actually there is a thread for future Collin County freeways, but this project justifies its own thread since it has meetings.

This study moved very fast to identify the recommended corridor, which is shown below. While the universe of alternatives (see meeting slides) had some very straight options, I think the recommended alternative is good outcome, about as good as I can hope for these days.

Another item of big news is that they appear to have scrapped the southward extension, from US 380 to the Bush Turnpike. The terminus of the recommended section is not amenable to being extended southward. On October 6, 2025, I posted in the other thread, showing an image (copied below) that there was a $13 million feasibility study slated to be done for the south section. Maybe they didn't need a feasibility study to determine that it is infeasible. That section would have been very difficult and expensive. With all the development in that area, it's too late to plan a freeway. You snooze, you lose.

Full size


Here is the listing with the studies. The second item is for the south section which appears to be scrapped.
Full size

Whoops, sorry I missed that one. I do agree that this appears to be a good alignment, and I applaud Collin County for getting out ahead of this one.

[Plutonic Panda]

Think the North Texas greater Dallas Fort Worth area needs to pass some sort of a major sales tax sort of like Maricopa County.

[Bobby5280]

The corridor proposal is an interesting solution to pushing a TX-121 freeway (or toll road) around and Northeast past McKinney. The corridor proposal makes me wonder if there is a long term plan to ultimately upgrade the corridor into a super highway all the way up to US-82 in Bonham. Northeast of McKinney TX-121 has 5 freeway exits with 2 or 3 of them recently built. A good part of that corridor segment is divided 4-lane highway. 

[rte66man]

The corridor proposal is an interesting solution to pushing a TX-121 freeway (or toll road) around and Northeast past McKinney. The corridor proposal makes me wonder if there is a long term plan to ultimately upgrade the corridor into a super highway all the way up to US-82 in Bonham. Northeast of McKinney TX-121 has 5 freeway exits with 2 or 3 of them recently built. A good part of that corridor segment is divided 4-lane highway. 

But to quote you from the US380 thread, "They are short-sighted and did not preserve the RoW for a full freeway to be constructed." If you look at the first 2-3 miles east of 75, the commercial businesses hare right on top of 121.

[Stephane Dumas]

The corridor proposal is an interesting solution to pushing a TX-121 freeway (or toll road) around and Northeast past McKinney. The corridor proposal makes me wonder if there is a long term plan to ultimately upgrade the corridor into a super highway all the way up to US-82 in Bonham. Northeast of McKinney TX-121 has 5 freeway exits with 2 or 3 of them recently built. A good part of that corridor segment is divided 4-lane highway. 

But to quote you from the US380 thread, "They are short-sighted and did not preserve the RoW for a full freeway to be constructed." If you look at the first 2-3 miles east of 75, the commercial businesses hare right on top of 121.

And we don't include the subdivisions past Melissa road.

[CoreySamson]

Is there any way that they could extend this section southeast over toward the Rockwall/Royse City area? There seems to be quite a demand for an eastern Dallas bypass, at least from my travels. Or is Loop 9 going to fill in that role as an eastern Dallas bypass?

[05danper42842]

Is there any way that they could extend this section southeast over toward the Rockwall/Royse City area? There seems to be quite a demand for an eastern Dallas bypass, at least from my travels. Or is Loop 9 going to fill in that role as an eastern Dallas bypass?

The Outer Loop section by Rockwall will serve that area. Loop 9 is too far.

[Road Hog]

The plans I have seen in the past (i.e. the last 6 years) seemed pretty ambivalent as to how the Outer Loop and Loop 9 will tie in. Would seem logical that they would at some point.

[Bobby5280]

But to quote you from the US380 thread, "They are short-sighted and did not preserve the RoW for a full freeway to be constructed." If you look at the first 2-3 miles east of 75, the commercial businesses hare right on top of 121.

This new Northeast Corridor bypasses that segment of TX-121 near US-75. From the point where the Northeast Corridor is proposed to connect into TX-121 (at the exit for FM-2862 in Westminster) there is still a lot of open land. I'm not sure if it would be possible to incorporate the existing freeway exits in Trenton and Randolph. It would probably be easier just building a new freeway on a new terrain alignment near the existing TX-121 corridor.

If TX DOT does have any long term ambitions they will need to plan ahead to avoid the messes they've allowed to happen with US-380, TX-114, etc.

[rte66man]

But to quote you from the US380 thread, "They are short-sighted and did not preserve the RoW for a full freeway to be constructed." If you look at the first 2-3 miles east of 75, the commercial businesses hare right on top of 121.

This new Northeast Corridor bypasses that segment of TX-121 near US-75. From the point where the Northeast Corridor is proposed to connect into TX-121 (at the exit for FM-2862 in Westminster) there is still a lot of open land. I'm not sure if it would be possible to incorporate the existing freeway exits in Trenton and Randolph. It would probably be easier just building a new freeway on a new terrain alignment near the existing TX-121 corridor.

If TX DOT does have any long term ambitions they will need to plan ahead to avoid the messes they've allowed to happen with US-380, TX-114, etc.

Yeah, I missed that part

[05danper42842]

The plans I have seen in the past (i.e. the last 6 years) seemed pretty ambivalent as to how the Outer Loop and Loop 9 will tie in. Would seem logical that they would at some point.

Loop 9 and the Outer Loop are not supposed to tie with each other since each over served a different area. The only part of the outer loop that will be the closest to Loop 9 is the Kaufman Outer Loop when is between US 80 and I-20 since it does slightly bend Westward to be perpendicular with FM 148 is southern terminus near I-20. I remember seeing past documents showing a connection but that would impossible now days with the housing development in Forney and Mesquite and the Trinity River all on is patch to reach Loop 9.

[rtXC1]

The plans I have seen in the past (i.e. the last 6 years) seemed pretty ambivalent as to how the Outer Loop and Loop 9 will tie in. Would seem logical that they would at some point.

Loop 9 and the Outer Loop are not supposed to tie with each other since each over served a different area. The only part of the outer loop that will be the closest to Loop 9 is the Kaufman Outer Loop when is between US 80 and I-20 since it does slightly bend Westward to be perpendicular with FM 148 is southern terminus near I-20. I remember seeing past documents showing a connection but that would impossible now days with the housing development in Forney and Mesquite and the Trinity River all on is patch to reach Loop 9.

Ah yes, another case of "we didn't grab ROW in time."

Although, it would make much more sense to have the Outer Loop project be a true third loop around DFW. Connecting Kaufman to Ennis to Crandall to Weatherford to the Outer Loop terminus north of Denton is what I think would work best.

[bwana39]

THere is not a lot of

Is there any way that they could extend this section southeast over toward the Rockwall/Royse City area? There seems to be quite a demand for an eastern Dallas bypass, at least from my travels. Or is Loop 9 going to fill in that role as an eastern Dallas bypass?

Hunt county has not been actively planning almost anything. Rockwall county is focused almost solely on the I-30 corridor. As you can see looking along the freeway, Hunt County is just starting to become part of the sprawl.