When construction began on US 75 in 2010, the roadway quickly became known for its traffic congestion as more than 120,000 drivers a day in 2015 inched their way through McKinney.
However with construction complete this January and new lanes adding much-needed space, drivers can easily zip through the city without much wait.
“The completion of the project will benefit local business both along US 75 and throughout McKinney as it will provide better access to all areas of our city,” McKinney Mayor Brian Loughmiller said. “One of the biggest hardships was on the businesses along 75 that had to endure the length of time it took to complete the project.”
Although the completed construction drastically reduced traffic wait times, some area officials say the lack of congestion will not last long.
“There are a lot of people anticipated to come to Collin County. It’s all speculation but I feel that we will soon overwhelm this roadway again,” Collin County Judge Keith Self said.
Roadway
Designed more than 50 years ago as a two-lane arterial to connect suburban Collin County communities for drivers, US 75 served as the main north-south roadway through the county. According to the Texas Department of Transportation US 75 Corridor Study, the roadway has continued to develop as the predominant corridor in northern Dallas County and Collin County.
Best laid plans
Despite the recent and current expansion projects, TxDOT officials said congestion on US 75 is projected to increase from 230,000 to 420,000 cars per day by 2035, causing more than 4 million hours of traffic delay per year and costing commuters $80 million per year in fuel through out Dallas and Collin counties.
According to the US 75 corridor study, in 2035 Dallas County drivers can expect a total of eight hours a day worth of traffic congestion on US 75 and Collin County drivers can expect upwards of seven hours of traffic congestion a day. This severe congestion will limit economic growth of northern Dallas County and Collin County, the study said.
This assumption has caused concern among area leaders including Self, who has repeatedly said that the county needs to put more “lines on the map” as the county’s population is expected to grow past the 1.5 million mark by 2035.
“We are still talking about lots of new people coming to Collin County,” he said. “I think the reconstruction will only buy us five to seven years before we are right back where we were—needing to add more lanes. I think within 10 years we will overwhelm the road again.”
Loughmiller echoed Self’s assessment, adding that local governing agencies are already talking about expansion of US 75 from IH 635 through Allen to SH 121.
“With the future anticipated growth of Collin County, US 75 will have capacity issues for the foreseeable future,” he said.[polldaddy poll=9270991]
Self said area government agencies must find another viable option to ease traffic congestion because there will be a limit reached on US 75 expansion as right-of-way space continues to shrink.
“We need to start planning now to see what is acceptable for the cities and what we can fund,” he said. “It is an issue that we need to be planning for now—even though we don’t know what the funding source will be.”
Self said for years leaders have had to shuffle funding to meet the growing infrastructure needs, continuously facing the same question: What will be cut to shift funding to transportation. However, he said he is preparing a potential new funding mechanism to pitch during the next legislative session in 2017 that could help state lawmakers find funding for additional infrastructure.
“I am working on an idea of a state sales tax transportation reinvestment zone that we are working to prepare before the next Legislative session,” Self said. “That would essentially take state sales tax along a certain road and reinvest to the rebuilding of that road, and I am hoping that we will get this approved and US 75 will be the first example of this type of funding.”
Other options
As other funding mechanisms are being drawn, the North Central Texas Council of Governments is working with TxDOT to find other options for US 75. So far, the NCTCOG has said alternatives range from the no-build alternative—meaning no further updates to the roadway—to alternatives that require significant widening. In addition, operational improvements are being considered as part of an overall corridor plan to reduce congestion, including improvements to transportation and the local roadway network.
“We are continuing to look at US 75, which is really the backbone of transportation in Collin County,” said Michael Morris, NCTCOG director of transportation. “Through the work we’re doing now to develop Mobility 2040, which is going through public meetings between now and February to gain consensus, we are looking at an interim improvement to repurpose the HOV lanes back to shoulders, allowing vehicle use during peak periods or to mitigate extreme congestion. The advancement of roadway technology will create a smart highway in this corridor.”
Morris said NCTCOG is supporting the work being done by the Collin County Commissioners Court to update the county’s thoroughfare plan.
“If you look at counties that developed decades ago, like Dallas or Tarrant counties, there are far more extensive gridded thoroughfare systems that serve as alternates to highways,” he said. “This kind of a system would be important to accommodating growth in Collin County. We are [also] looking at how transit—particularly rail transit—can be expanded throughout the region including Collin County. By providing options, we allow people to make the choice about how they travel.”
