The Texas Department of Transportation is looking to hear from the public about the proposed plans to ease congestion on U.S. 380 in Collin County.
Years of debate and a final draft of an environmental impact study led TxDOT to make a final recommendation on the proposed 8-lane freeway. A final draft of the study will be discussed during planned public meetings in February.
According to TxDOT, the 16-mile proposed "blue alternative" plan it recommends would start on a new location on Coit Road and U.S. 380 and connect back to the existing U.S. 380 near Farm-to-Market Road 1827, east of McKinney city limits.
“Our goal is to stay on the current alignment as much as possible, and so this preferred alternative allows us to do that,” said TxDOT spokeswoman Madison Schein. “What we're proposing is an eight-lane freeway. That means there’s no stoplights on the highway. There (are) frontage roads. There (are) on and off ramps, and it's really bringing up a new standard.”
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PUBLIC DEBATE
For years, local equestrian therapy center ManeGait Therapeutic Horsemanship has been pushing against proposals that would put their property in the path of the freeway.
“We've been waiting for this decision since 2018. We have been waiting to hear whether TxDOT was going to bring the 380 bypass adjacent to our property, which would force us to relocate,” said Patricia Nelson, executive director for ManeGait, which serves veterans and people with special needs. “We would not be able to provide services here.”
“We have 150 riders a week that come and participate in our program, which takes about 300 volunteers a week on the property. So, we have 1,500 active volunteers right now participating with us,” Nelson added.
Nelson says it was "just a huge sigh of relief and joy and high fives" after the organization learned TxDOT's final proposal stayed clear of their property.
“TxDOT has told us that they got more response to this from MainGait supporters than they've had for any other project,” Nelson said.
“We hit the thousands on public feedback,” said Schein. “And this is exactly this is kind of like what you want in public involvement. You want people to tell us what they think.”
PUBLIC MEETINGS
TxDOT says public meetings will be held Feb. 16 and Feb. 21.
"We'll have our engineers out there that can explain specific concerns (people) have and walk through what this project is going to look like," Schein said.
“They have a 30-day comment period after that, before the final decision is completely done,” said Nelson, who plans to attend the Feb. 16 meeting. “So, we're still a little bit on the edge of our seats, but we're feeling much better now.”
Guests will be able to come and go during either of the public meetings.
The first in-person meeting is set for Feb. 16 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Collin County Courthouse Central Jury Room, located at 2100 Bloomdale Road, McKinney.
A virtual meeting will also be held on Feb. 16 for those unable to attend in person. Click here for access to that meeting.
The second meeting will be from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 21 in the gymnasium of Rhea's Mill Baptist Church, located at 5733 N. Custer Road in McKinney.
To review the draft environmental impact study, click here.
