Streets adjacent to McKinney’s new city hall, which is under construction, are expected to be reconstructed in the year prior to the opening of the new municipal facility, according to a Dec. 5 council meeting.

McKinney City Council members unanimously approved awarding a construction contract for the reconstruction of parts of Virginia Street and Throckmorton Street at the meeting.

A closer look

The project will include three phases of construction on the streets directly south and east of the new city hall site.

The phases include:

• 1. Constructing Throckmorton Street from Lamar Street to just north of the intersection with East Virginia Street
• 2. Constructing East Virginia Street from SH 5 to Main Street
• 3. Constructing a roundabout at the intersection of East Virginia Street and Throckmorton Street

Construction on the project is expected to begin in January and be completed within the construction contracts’ 347-day duration, which ends in late 2024.

Diving deeper

Three companies submitted bids for the construction project, with Addison, Texas-based DDM Construction submitting the lowest bid at nearly $9.3 million, according to meeting documents.

City Council members unanimously approved awarding the construction contract to DDM Construction. The approved resolution also included a maximum price of $10.65 million for the project, with the difference from the initial bid representing contingency funds.

Also of note

The phased construction will be coordinated with construction underway on Louisiana Street to the south to maintain mobility in the area, McKinney Director of Engineering Gary Graham said.

“We’re going to make sure Virginia [Street] stays open until Louisiana [Street] is completed, and ... then we’ll be able to start shifting that construction work up to Virginia [Street],” Graham said at the Dec. 5 meeting.

Graham also noted the planned roundabout included in the project will serve as a traffic-calming measure.

“It’s going to slow traffic down [and] try to help alleviate some of the concerns residents have [of] cut-through traffic once we connect, ultimately, Virginia [Street] from Airport [Drive] over to SH 5,” Graham said of the roundabout.

The project also includes a raised crossing on East Virginia Street in front of the new city hall, which will cause cars to slow down while crossing the 6-inch raised platform, as well as sidewalks, fencing and other hardscape elements, Graham said. The construction will also add lighting, drainage and utility improvements, according to the city’s website.

Learn more

For more information about transportation and infrastructure projects in East McKinney, visit www.mckinneytexas.org/3337.