Changes Come To Busy Denton County Highway
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DENTON (CBSDFW.COM) - Changes came Tuesday for a busy roadway in a growing part of North Texas. Highway 380 in Denton County is in the middle of a widening project which required new traffic patterns to be set along an eastbound stretch between Interstate-35 and Nail Road.
Workers on Tuesday morning closed several eastbound lanes in order to move into the new pattern. The work was expected to be completed -- and the new pattern in place -- by Tuesday afternoon's rush hour. In the meantime, drivers are advised to find alternative routes or expect serious delays.
This all comes following two deadly car crashes in the last two weeks. A construction worker was killed Wednesday afternoon when a driver slammed into him. And in late September, a woman was killed and a second driver was left in critical condition after two separate crashes which took place just minutes apart from each other.
These deadly incidents are prime examples of why this highway needs to be expanded, and drivers in the area cannot wait for the work to be completed. According to Tony Hartzel with the Texas Department of Transportation, the project is 95 percent done and should be totally finished by the end of the year.
The current project will expand Highway 380 between Interstate-35 and FM 156. An additional plan aims to further widen the highway to the Collin County line. That proposal is currently being discussed in public meetings. If that $103 million project is approved, construction would begin in late 2020 and last about three years.