State diverts Hwy 380 funds; commissioners want it back

Princeton drivers may have to suffer through Highway 380 traffic challenges a lot longer following the recent move by the state to reallocate funds earmarked for future improvements. 
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Princeton Herald
by John Kanelis 
August 17, 2023 | Latest, News

Collin County commissioners have sent the Texas Transportation Commission (TTC) a letter asking for the state to return $490 million it has removed from two key highway improvements projects slated for Collin County.

The Commissioners Court, meeting Aug. 7, unanimously approved a motion to send the Transportation Commission the written request, citing the county’s immense growth along the U.S. Highway 380 and Spur 399 corridors. The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is considering a massive highway expansion along the U.S. 380 corridor that would build freeway bypasses through several communities from Denton to Greenville.

Precinct 3 County Commissioner Darrell Hale said, “my precinct is the most affected” by the reduction of the money for Collin County, given the traffic flow through Princeton, New Hope and Farmersville. 

“If you’re driving along 380 you will be slowed down,” Hale told his fellow commissioners, adding that the reduction also will have an adverse impact on neighboring Hunt County. “I cannot imagine TxDOT making my constituents deal with this traffic as they commute between work and home each day,” he said.

The Transportation Commission plans to use the $490 million to build high-occupancy vehicle lanes along freeways in the Houston area, Hale said.