The two-lane roadway created a complete connection from Dallas North Tollway in Celina to US 75 just north of McKinney. The section officially opened to the public Nov. 7.
The specifics
The segment of roadway completed, dubbed Segment 3C by county officials, will serve as an east-west connection that will enhance regional connectivity and relieve congestion on other major roadways, the release states.
The Collin County Toll Road Authority directed the development of the segment with support from Collin County’s Department of Engineering.
“We’re tremendously excited to open this new segment of the Outer Loop,” Collin County Judge Chris Hill said in the release. “This roadway will improve mobility and reduce travel times across the fast-growing northwest corridor of Collin County. I’m grateful for the hard work and dedication of everyone who helped make this project a reality.”
The roadway project cost $62.7 million, and was funded by the county’s 2018 bond. Schematic work, construction plan preparation and construction management was completed by engineering firm BGE, RPM xConstruction served as the contractor, and engineering consultancy firm Terracon completed materials testing for the project, Collin County Director of Engineering Clarence Daugherty said at the meeting.
Construction on the project began in February 2024 and had a projected completion of March 2026. The project’s actual completion is November 2025, which is more than 3 months in advance of the projected timeline.
“We do appreciate it,” Daugherty said. “When you can get a job done before schedule, it's pretty unusual in this day and time, and I’m real pleased with the way it's all turned out.”
Quote of note
“I want to commend you and your staff, and all of the employees of BGE, RPM [xConstruction] and Terracon,” Collin County Commissioner Duncan Webb said to Daugherty. “This is huge, this is momentous.”
The context
The Collin County Outer Loop is a planned 53-mile roadway through north and east Collin County, and will connect to both the Denton County line and the Rockwall County line. After completion, the roadway will also connect to a number of major highways, including:
- IH 30
- IH 35
- SH 121
- SH 289
- The Dallas North Tollway extension
- US 377
- US 380
- US 75
“Since that time, a tremendous amount of effort and energy has gone into consideration of alternative alignments, public meetings and technical work to get to where things are today,” Daugherty said.
The project is also included in the Mobility 2045: the Metropolitan Transportation Plan for North Central Texas, with the goal of supporting long-term growth in the region, the release states.
Diving in deeper
The first segment of the roadway connecting US 75 in McKinney to SH 121 just north of Melissa was completed over 10 years ago, and a portion of Segment 3 connecting the Dallas North Tollway to Custer Road opened in 2022.
The segments are currently open as two lanes but will see more lanes added in the future. The ultimate planned configuration of the Outer Loop will include a 10-lane freeway with ramps as well as two-lane service roads in each direction, county documents show.
The project phasing progresses by building a two lane, two-way service road with any needed turn lanes. When the roadway begins to see excess traffic, a second two-lane service road would be added, Daugherty said at the meeting. The service roads will then flow with two lanes in each direction. The fourth phase of construction will later add the main lanes and ramps, creating a freeway that is similar to US 75, he said.
“I think we’ve learned our lesson. It did not take any time at all for that one service road between Preston [Road] and [Dallas North Tollway] to start filling up. I’m really thinking that opening this section up is going to draw a lot of traffic through there, so we’re going to have to move on it,” Daugherty said of adding the second service road in the Segment 3C section.
Looking ahead
Daugherty said work is underway to plan and improve other sections of the Outer Loop.
Another portion of Segment 3 that will connect from Choat Parkway in Celina to the border of Denton County is being designed, and construction is expected to begin in 2026, Daugherty said.
A traffic study is underway at the interchange of US 75 and the Outer Loop, located in Segment 1, and additional lanes could be added to the existing Outer Loop portion located east of US 75, Daugherty said.
“That Segment 1 is serving its purpose and has developed a tremendous amount of congestion so we’re going to be determining what interim improvements we can put in to attempt to relieve the congestion until even further improvements can be made,” he said.
The final alignments for segments 2 and 4, located in the southeast portion of the county, are being fine-tuned, and schematics are being developed, he said. When alignments are determined, county officials will begin acquiring the right of way for the road.
The same process is underway for Segment 5, which is in the northeast portion of the county and will run both east-west and north-south. A virtual public meeting is scheduled from Nov. 13-Dec. 15 to collect input on the final alignment of Segment 5, according to the county's website.
For more information on the Collin County Outer Loop, visit www.collincountytx.gov/services/engineering/transportation/outer-loop.
