Denton County Commissioner Ryan Williams speaks on roads

By Abigail Allen

Editor

Denton County Commissioner Ryan Williams, Precinct 1, spoke before a gathering of business and civic leaders throughout the Pilot Point area on Oct. 19.

Williams gave an overview of the impact that growth in Denton County is having on the area and the services the county provides.

"The amount of development that's already in play, that's already on paper, would blow your mind," Williams said.

One way the county is trying to respond to the influx of residents throughout its jurisdiction is the Transportation Road Improvement Program 2022 bond, which was approved by the voters to fund 119 transportation-based projects with $600 million.

The bond will help, but that help will not be immediate in all areas, Williams said.

He added that because the development along U.S. 380 is so close to the roadway, the project there will only be able to expand so far, so "it's going to help alleviate some, but not enough."

Widening other side roads is also on the agenda, he said.

A long-discussed project, the Outer Loop, came up as well. Williams said repeatedly that he could not give an exact path for the project, offering a general location instead.

"It's pretty north of 380, and pretty south of 455," he said, adding "and it crosses the Corps [land] at [FM] 428."

He also mentioned that Collin County already has its portion of the Outer Loop set at the border between the two counties, and he encouraged people to attend the public input meetings if they are concerned about any of the four pathway options, which will be held Nov. 13 at the Aubrey Area Library and Community Center at 226 Countryside Drive in Aubrey and Nov. 16 at the Embassy Suites at 3100 Town Center Trail in Denton.

He also touched on a couple of Texas Department of Transportation projects—the active construction on U.S. 380 and the projected widening of U.S. 377.

"377 is a huge one," Williams said. "I apologize up front. It's going to be a mess, [but when it's done] it's going to be wonderful."

Williams also shared that the county will build an event center at the intersection of I-35 and Milam, which he said will have a positive economic impact reaching to Pilot Point.

Before he spoke, Chamber Secretary Lisa Cave introduced Williams.

"We're very excited and very privileged to hear our program today," Cave said.