ST9904-CS020319Mar 19 02 11:06a ITS, Inc. 972-484-4545 p•5
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Texas Department of Transpartatian
Texas 121
Background: The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and Collin
County have agreed on an approach which will benefit drivers on Texas 121
up to a year sooner.
• The proposal is to split the single project into two, thereby removing
the more complex, recently modified, Texas 2S9 (Preston Road)
interchange section from the section west of Custer Road to U.S. 7.5
(Central Expressway). Dividing the project into two provides benefits to
motorists by allowing two contractors to work at the same time on the
entire stretch which could lead to completion up to one-year earlier. Two
separate projects also allow for more flexibility in solving Corps of
Engineer issues. These issues must be resolved before work west of Custer
Road can begin. Under the original proposal, the entire Texas 121 project
could have been held up until the issues were resolved.
• The revised proposal will provide for half the project, the eastern
section o to contract in October 2002 and be open to traffic by
early 005 The proposed section from Custer Road west would be
comple e in late 2005, even with new design work pushing the original
letting date to April 2003. That new design work ($13 million in
additional funding) now includes the mainlanes and the Packwood
Ovelpass between the DNT and SH289, which was not offered in the
original project and timeline. The original proposal was to have one 11-
mile project from the Dallas North Tollway (DNT) to U.S. 75, with a
contract letting in October 2002 and completion scheduled in early 2006.
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• Besides an early completion, there are other benefits to splitting the
project into two. Those benefits include: construction of the corridor can
begin at the currently anticipated December 2002 date, it is more
beneficial far handling problematic traffic near SH 289, and early
completion allows for safer operation for the current 22,360 vehicles per
day using Texas 121.
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