Collin County Commissioners approved funding the utility relocations along US 380 and opposed requiring the cities funding the project along the corridor during a Feb. 5 commissioner court meeting. The vote comes after McKinney officials requested the county to cover the costs.
The commissioners decided to cover all the costs for utilities instead of choosing specific cities to aid.
The details
The cost is an estimated $227.1 million, which will cover McKinney, Frisco, Prosper, Princeton and Farmersville relocations, said Clarence Daugherty, the county’s director of engineering. The Texas Department of Transportation, which is overseeing the construction, will reimburse the county an estimated $154.6 million for the utility work.
The utility work must be done ahead of construction. The county funds will come from its 2018 bond, which was approved to fund county freeway projects.
“This project has far reaching implications not only for those cities but all those who travel in and around and live in the county,” Precinct 4 Commissioner Duncan Webb said during the meeting. “I don’t think our cities have the funds necessary to do this.”
The background
The decision comes after TxDOT selected the blue alignment for the US 380 bypass project in October after an environmental impact review.
In September, TxDOT published a final environmental impact statement and record of decision document. It summarized potential environmental impacts for each alignment and determined the blue alignment as the preferred alternative.
The blue alignment is composed of segments A, C and E and was TxDOT’s preferred alignment throughout the project’s planning and environmental stages. Three other alignments were considered during environmental review.
Constructing the chosen alignment is projected to cost about $3.27 billion and is the second-least expensive option, according to the document. Funding has only been partially acquired for the project.
