The Collin County Observer™

RTC votes to spend $1.5 billion for eight Collin County road projects

By Brandi Hart, McKinney Courier-Gazette
Friday, August 22, 2008

Collin County got a huge financial boost on Thursday as the Regional Transportation Council voted on which transportation projects will be paid for through $1. 5 billion from State Highway 121 toll revenue that the county will receive.

Members of the RTC Board of Directors, which is part of the North Central Texas Council of Governments, chose to allocate the $1.5 billion that Collin County will receive in revenue from tolls for SH 121 to the following road expansion projects:

# SH 121 main lanes that are currently under construction from the Dallas North Tollway to US 75 in McKinney?.

# SH 121 and US 75 interchange in McKinney.

# Widening of US 75 from four to eight lanes at Legacy Drive in Plano to where the Collin County Outer Loop will eventually be built near Melissa’s northern boundary.

# Widening of SH 289 from two lanes to four lanes from Frisco to Celina.

# Widening of SH 121 North in Melissa from two to four lanes from US 75 to Farm-to-Market Road 455 near Anna.

# SH 205 east of Wylie from two to four lanes to FM 6 in Lavon.

# Construction of two lanes for the Collin County Outer Loop between US 75 and SH 121 North.

Collin County Commissioner for Precinct 3 Joe Jaynes, who is also a member of the RTC Board, said that Collin County is one of the most fortunate counties in the United States as $1.5 billion from toll revenue is being given from the North Texas Tollway Authority to transportation projects in Collin County.

The $1.5 billion will also pay for an environmental assessment for the Collin County Outer Loop and for a feasibility study to bring rail service to Fairview, Allen, and McKinney? and to other areas in North Collin County, Jaynes said.

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