The fourth public meeting concerning the proposed Regional Denton County Outer Loop project was held Monday evening at the Denton Convention Center at Embassy Suites.
County officials and consultants laid out maps and design schematics at numbered stations, as people wandered between tables, asking questions about what this highway network could mean for their neighborhoods, while a prerecorded presentation played in the background.
“This study is really about balancing growth with environmental responsibility,” said Madeline Shepherd, outreach lead for the project. “We know Denton County is going to change dramatically in the next 20 years, and this is about making sure we do it in a way that preserves the land and keeps people moving.”
The Outer Loop, led by Denton County in partnership with the Texas Department of Transportation, is de- signed as a 23-mile east– west freeway connecting I-35 in Denton County to the Dallas North Tollway in Collin County, with possible extensions in the future.
The goal—keep up with Denton County’s rapid growth.
Planners estimate the county’s population will swell from just over one million now to nearly 1.9 million by 2050.
That environmental balance is most apparent at one of the project’s toughest sections— the Elm Fork of the Trinity River and the Denton Greenbelt.
The corridor cuts through state park land, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers property and private land under conservation easements.
Two possible routes at FM 428 are on the table: a stacked bridge that would require relocating the Elm Fork historic bridge or a narrower alignment that avoids relocation but impacts more private property.
“We’ve been very cautious in developing options that minimize the impacts to the Greenbelt,” Shepherd said.
The study remains in its environmental review phase, with agencies like the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the Texas Historical Commission weighing in.
A draft Environmental Impact Statement is expected in 2026, after which a preferred route will be chosen.
Construction, officials said, would come later in phases as funding is secured.
