McKinney Public Works Director Ryan Gillingham said city staff will meet with contracting company Garret Shields Infrastructure for a pre-construction meeting later in May. More details about the upcoming construction will be released ahead of the start date.
In a nutshell
Gillingham broke down the upcoming project for McKinney City Council during a May 20 work session. Council members approved up to $9.2 million in April for the construction work. In addition to panel replacements, both roads will be restriped and any broken curbs will be repaired.
The project is expected to take one year to complete and will include work on different segments along both roads, according to a staff presentation. While the project may be disruptive to traffic, the contractor will break up work to avoid closing all lanes within a single segment, Gillingham said.
Staff are working with the city’s communications and marketing departments to alert nearby residents and drivers of the upcoming construction, he said.
“We want to be very aware of ways to minimize that disruption to residents and people that are traveling through the roadway,” Gillingham said.
The background
Eldorado Parkway was constructed between 1987 and 1996. The road is made of 8-inch concrete panels and varies from three to four lanes. The expected lifespan of the road is 30-50 years, according to the presentation.
Virginia Parkway was built between 1988 and 1991. The 6-lane road is made of 9-inch concrete panels between US 75 and Bellegrove Drive and 8-inch concrete panels between Bellegrove and Stonebridge Drive. The expected lifespan of the road is 30-50 years.
The roadways are 30-40 years old and the traffic seen on each road are “significant,” Gillingham said. Traffic on Eldorado Parkway ranged from 24,285 to 31,230 vehicles per day in 2023. Traffic on Virginia Parkway ranged from 20,930 to 39,543 vehicles per day during the same year.
As concrete roads age it can lead to potholes, cracks and subgrade failure. Panels can be repaired with spot patching and panel replacements. Officials can also resurface concrete roads or reconstruct them completely.
Replacing the concrete panels falls under rehabilitation of the road which can extend a concrete road’s lifespan, according to the presentation. At some point though officials have to plan for reconstruction of the road, Gillingham said.
“By doing the panel replacements, we’re extending the life of that pavement but at some point, just as I was saying earlier, infrastructure doesn’t last forever,” he said. “You have to plan for its routine replacement. When you reconstruct the roadway, you're restarting that deterioration curve again.”
Staff will continue to monitor Eldorado Parkway and Virginia Parkway after the project is complete. Council members could consider asphalt overlays for the road in the future to address smoothness or ridability of the roadways, Gillingham said.
In the future, if officials were to recommend reconstruction of both roads, the project and projected costs would be added to the city’s Capital Improvements Program. Reconstruction of both roads is estimated to cost $83.6 million, according to the presentation.
