Creating Examples for Future Generations
Denton County is well known across the state for working closely with creating examples for future generations our entities to deal with growth. With the rapid growth we have experienced comes the need to expand services for our residents. Nothing shows growth as quickly as the traffic we see on our roads every day to and from home, work, school, or when we’re running errands.
As a longtime Denton County Commissioner in Precinct 3, not to mention a resident myself, I can recall a time when our major thoroughfares were smaller and traffic was more congested than what we see today. We are fortunate to have the four lanes of Interstate 35E and the new bridge across Lewisville Lake (which opened in 2016), FM 2499, and the Lewisville Lake Toll Bridge in southern Denton County — all of which have helped ease traffic moving north to south and east to west.
Yet we also know how important it is to plan for future road projects, working with our cities and towns, and the Texas Department of Transportation. We issued the first $110 million tranche of funds in August 2023 from the $650 million in transportation bonds overwhelmingly approved by voters in November 2022. To date, the Commissioners Court has approved about $69.36 million of those funds for specific projects. In Precinct 3, we have allocated $6 million for I-35E improvements at several major Lewisville intersections and $5 million for improvements on Valley Parkway and Civic Circle, also in Lewisville. Both projects are currently under construction.
As part of the Denton County Connections Project — a collection of intersection and road improvements intended to address traffic bottlenecks caused by rapid population and industry growth — crews have been hard at work on the FM 1171 bridge across I-35E. A traffic switch for the bridge began on Feb. 15 and is expected to remain in place for about three months during ongoing construction. Eventually, a new/expanded bridge and frontage road area will ease traffic congestion at that location. Other major intersections in Precinct 3 that are part of the Denton County Connections Project include I-35E at Corporate Drive and I-35E at State Highway 121 Business.
At Civic Circle and Valley Parkway, ongoing construction aims to enhance traffic flow for present and future generations. With Civic Circle restricted to one-way traffic and Valley Parkway reduced to one lane in both directions, these improvements will benefit commuters and support the evolving needs of Denton County’s growing population for generations to come.This City of Lewisville project, which we are helping fund, will improve traffic flow around what will be the new Tittle McFadden Public Safety Center. The center will house the Lewisville Police Station, Fire Administration, Central Fire Station, Quartermaster, Data Center, 911 Dispatch, and it adds a state-of-the-art Emergency Operations Center facility. That intersection is also right across from the Lewisville High School campus.
Any short-term inconveniences will be well worth the long-term improvements as we continue to grow by 86 people every day. It is difficult, sometimes, to believe we are more than 1 million strong in population. As one of the fastest growing counties in the country, planning is key to ensuring our future roads can handle the additional families who will one day call Denton County home.
