Denton County officials approved a little over $12.5 million for two local transportation projects to enhance mobility for area residents Jan 30.
What’s happening
One of those is what officials call a “breakout project.” It’s work pulled out from the broader widening of FM 407 led by the Texas Department of Transportation, and focuses on the intersection at FM 407 and I-35W, which will involve adding a right-turn lane to FM 407 and the I-35W access road, respectively, on the west side of the intersection. Other improvements included in the $3.03 million project are adding drainage, updating pavement markings and updating vehicle deflection walls at the FM 407 overpass for I-35W.
Dianne Edmondson, Denton County Precinct 4 commissioner, said the project should help with the broader widening of FM 407 from four to six lanes from Bill Cook Road to FM 1830 in Argyle, which could get environmental clearance in June.
“We have taken the initiative to help the state with this project by getting [the] initial set-up completed so that [the FM 407 widening] might be finished earlier,” Edmondson said in an email.
Tila Grant, a public information officer with TxDOT, said these improvements are the first portion of the $35 million-$40 million project in the area, which is currently unfunded. Based on state traffic count data, the number of average daily trips increased from 14,326 in 2019 to 21,051 in 2024 west of the FM 407 and I-35W intersection. East of the intersection, traffic has gone from 12,216 to 15,325 average daily trips.
“The fast-paced population growth across Denton County has brought increased traffic into the FM 407 corridor,” Edmondson said. “The project on FM 407 in [the] Northlake/Argyle area has been in the making a long time.”
What you need to know
The second project funded by county officials is a widening of Lakeside Parkway in Flower Mound from four to six lanes. The project spans from FM 2499 to the town’s eastern border.
The project also includes adding two traffic signals at the intersection of Lakeside Parkway and Silveron Boulevard and Lakeside and Enterprise Drive to better manage increased traffic congestion, said Matthew Hotelling, Flower Mound’s assistant director of public works. Additional signals along Lakeside are necessary because of increased truck traffic and future development, Hotelling added.
Because of increased traffic from 2021-2025, Flower Mound officials said the roadway does not meet recommended standards of a major arterial as outlined in the town’s thoroughfare plan.
“There is increased traffic volume in the area, and currently Lakeside Parkway does not meet the cross-section of a major arterial roadway,” said Dale Crown, Flower Mound assistant director of engineering, in an email.
Diving deeper
Flower Mound officials are also working with Grapevine on an easement to allow three eastbound lanes and two westbound lanes on Lakeside Parkway between town limits and SH 121 to further enhance the road’s capacity.
The entire project will cost $14.2 million, with Denton County contributing $9.5 million.
What’s next
Sharing the funding for local road projects increases mobility and “efficiently uses taxpayer dollars,” Crown said. Without county funds, Flower Mound officials said other projects could be delayed.
“These voter-approved funds allow us to work with our towns and cities on road projects that are important within their communities for better transportation access,” Bobbie Mitchell, Denton County Precinct 3 commissioner, said in an email.
TxDOT officials are still working to identify funding for the FM 407 widening and do not have a timeline for that project at this time, Grant said.
Crown said the Lakeside Parkway widening will begin in the late summer.
