Construction on West Main Street to bury power lines and widen the road could start as early as October.
Main Street construction became a topic of conversation last year when the city of Frisco and Brazos Electric entered into an agreement that would allow new power lines from FM 423 to east of Legacy Drive to be placed underground rather than constructed overhead.
“It’s been a long process,” said Jason Brodigan, Frisco assistant director of engineering. “We worked with the [Public Utility Commission of Texas] and Brazos to come to an agreement that the lines would be buried, and at that point we started the design.”
Brodigan said Frisco’s engineering department for the past 15 months has had conference calls with Brazos engineers to develop a design for Main Street.
Once started, construction will last about 18 months with a projected completion date of April 2019. Construction on the median will begin first, and paving work will begin in spring 2018.
Main Street will be widened from four lanes to six lanes from FM 423 to the Dallas North Tollway, a 3-mile stretch of roadway. In addition, a new traffic signal will be added to the intersection of Main Street and Majestic Gardens Drive. Intersection improvements will be done at Main Street and Legacy Drive.
Two new water lines will also be installed from FM 423 to Legacy Drive. Both power lines and water lines will be installed in the median.
Brian Moen, Frisco’s assistant director of transportation, said the water lines would increase the city’s transmission capacity and operations of the water system. The water lines will also help provide water to the new elevated storage tank that is under construction at FM 423 and Stonebrook Parkway.
The project will also include improvements to the drainage channel that runs along Main Street from the DNT to just west of Legacy.
Moen said one of the first things the city will do to prepare the roadway for construction is remove trees from the medians and relocate them to city parks. He also said some street lights will be shut off during construction as power lines are put into place.
Moen said for most of the construction, all four lanes will remain open, but there will be periodic lane closures. Closures are expected to take place at times when traffic is light, usually from 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
Moen said the city will start a public information campaign to get information out to business owners and homeowners who will potentially be impacted by construction. Information will be sent out citywide as well.
The projected overall cost of the project is $26.6 million. Brazos will pay $4.7 million, and the city will fund the remaining amount through road bonds.
“As a staff and the city in general, we look forward to the completion of this project, and once it’s done it’ll help relieve congestion along Main Street,” Moen said.
