With the latest public meeting completed, Collin County’s study of two southeastern segments of the proposed Outer Loop is moving toward completion of the roadway’s schematic design and environmental review, steps that would eventually clear the way for right-of-way acquisition.

The county held a public meeting Oct. 27 at Leland Edge Middle School in Nevada and made a virtual presentation available online for the Collin County Outer Loop-Southeast project. 

The project covers Segments 2 and 4, extending approximately 14 miles from County Road 656 northeast of Farmersville to the Collin-Rockwall County line northwest of Royse City.

The project team is finalizing the schematic design and Local Environmental Document for the preferred alignment. The environmental document will then go to the Collin County Commissioners Court for consideration and final approval. 

The current study, which began in summer 2024, is expected to conclude in late 2026 or early 2027.

The county has already identified an updated preferred route for the entire project. The alignment is based on what the county calls the previous Technically Preferred Alignment, which was identified through studies completed in 2009 for Segment 2, from U.S. 380 to FM 6, and in 2010 for Segment 4, from FM 6 to the Rockwall County line.

The latest study revisited that route to account for development and other constraints that have emerged since the earlier studies. 

After evaluating several variations and considering public and stakeholder input, the county selected what it calls the Pink Alignment, including a western shift through the middle portion of the study area.

Although a preferred alignment has been identified, its precise location and property requirements could still be refined as engineering work continues. The proposed freeway would use a right of way approximately 500 feet wide, and the county said the alignment could shift slightly as the schematic design is completed.

The schematic design will establish more than the roadway’s location. Engineers will determine preliminary lane configurations, ramp locations and interchange designs, drainage requirements and the amount of land needed for the project.

At the same time, the Local Environmental Document will examine potential effects on the human and natural environment. 

The review includes residences and businesses as well as archaeological, historical, cultural and biological resources and community facilities. 

Collin County is working with the North Central Texas Council of Governments on the environmental document and coordinating with local governments and other agencies.

Once the Commissioners Court approves the environmental document, the county plans to move into final detailed design and begin acquiring property needed for the corridor. The county expects right-of-way acquisition to take several years.

The county said it intends to acquire enough right of way for the ultimate freeway rather than only the land needed for the first construction phase. That would allow the corridor to be protected from additional development while the roadway is built over time.

No date has been set for construction of the full freeway, and construction will depend on funding and traffic demand. The current plan calls for the roadway to be developed in phases, initially with one two-lane frontage road carrying traffic in both directions once funding for that phase is secured.

The county could instead build both frontage roads at the same time if traffic needs and funding justify doing so. 

Officials have not determined which frontage road would be built first. Freeway main lanes in the center of the corridor would be added later as population, development and travel demand increase and money becomes available.

Current plans call for the frontage roads to be designed for 45 mph and the freeway main lanes for 70 mph, although those design speeds could change as engineering progresses. 

Drainage plans call for runoff to be directed away from nearby neighborhoods and the roadway through engineered grassy roadside ditches or channels and appropriately sized culverts based on drainage analysis. 

Decisions about roadway lighting, including the size and spacing of lights, have not yet been made.

The 14-mile project would eventually form part of a much larger transportation corridor. The proposed Collin County Outer Loop would extend approximately 55 miles from the Denton County line through areas including Celina, Weston, Anna, Melissa, Farmersville, Josephine and Royse City. It would connect with a proposed regional outer-loop system extending through Denton, Collin, Rockwall and Kaufman counties and potentially Ellis County.

Collin County also has separate projects underway to advance planning and design for Segments 1 and 5 of the Outer Loop and is studying the feasibility of another north-south freeway between Princeton and State Highway 121.

Residents and property owners can continue to follow the project and view updated alignment maps at CCOL-SE.com. The county said maps will be updated as the project progresses and the right-of-way requirements become more precise.

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