2019-004 FM 428 Corridor – Traffic GrowthDate: January, 11, 2019 Report No. 2019-004
INFORMAL STAFF REPORT
TO MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
SUBJECT: FM 428 Corridor – Traffic Growth
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: As the City of Denton continues to grow, there are several areas
within the City that are growing at a much faster pace. In order to address the transportation
infrastructure needs, it is imperative to understand the near term and long term traffic growth
associated with new development in the City. Based on the anticipated growth along the FM 428
corridor, a traffic analysis was conducted to understand future roadway infrastructure needs. In
the future (year 2040), FM 428 (a major arterial street) will need to be widened to a 4 lane
divided facility with a reserved right-of-way for a 6 lane facility in the future. Additionally,
several new arterial will be required in the future for supporting the traffic growth in this area. As
new developments are built, the roadway improvements along FM 428 and other arterials will be
implemented in a phased manner to alleviate the impacts of the added traffic.
In the near term, the interchange of FM 428/Loop 288 will be upgraded to add capacity (lanes)
and signalized to improve the overall traffic operation. The near term project is currently under
design and will be construction by end of this year.
BACKGROUND:
In the last five years, the City of Denton has seen
a considerable amount of growth in traffic
associated with a significant influx of residential
development throughout the City. In particular,
there are three areas (see adjacent graphic) in the
City that are experiencing considerable green
field development and projected to add
significant residential units in the next decade.
The area in the northeast side of the City along
FM 428 is one of the areas that is anticipated to
add approximately two to three thousand
residential units in the next five to ten years.
Given the projected growth in this region, a
thorough assessment of the future public
infrastructure needs was required. As such, staff
engaged the services of an engineering firm to
assess the existing street network system, overlay
the anticipated traffic growth associated with
green field development and develop a robust
transportation network that would support the
projected growth.
Date: January, 11, 2019 Report No. 2019-004
HDR Engineering conducted a traffic analysis along the
FM 428 corridor north of Loop 288 (see adjacent
graphic showing the study area in yellow) to understand
future roadway infrastructure needs based on the
projected growth in the area. Engineering staff worked
closely with planning staff to identify the projected land
uses within the study area and develop a traffic forecast
model for the region. Based on the results of the
analysis, recommendations for an arterial roadway
network (see graphic below) and the associated cross-
sections (number of lanes) were developed and are
summarized in Table 1.
The proposed recommendations are long term (year 2040) transportation infrastructure
requirements. As the construction of new developments progresses, the implementation of the
transportation network will be implemented in a phased manner. A portion of the infrastructure
will be implemented directly or indirectly (roadway impact fees) by the new developments.
Date: January, 11, 2019 Report No. 2019-004
Table 1: Summary of System Roadway Recommendations
System
Roadways Location
Existing
Volume
(2016)
Future
Volume
(2040)
Existing
Configurati
on
Proposed
Configur
ation
Notes
FM 428 North of
Long Rd. 7,256 18,800 2 lane
undivided
4 lane
divided
Preserve Right of Way
(ROW) for 6-lane divided
roadway
Stuart Rd. North of
Loop 288 - 14,000 2 lane
undivided
4 lane
undivided
Preserve ROW for 6-
lane divided roadway
Cooper
Creek Rd.
South of Elm
Bottom Cir. - 6,100 2 lane
undivided
2 lane
undivided
Preserve ROW for 4-
lane divided roadway
Collins Rd. South of Elm
Bottom
Cir.
- 15,000 6 lane
undivided
6 lane
undivided
-
Elm
Bottom Cir.
East of FM
428 - 8,200 2 lane
undivided
2 lane
undivided
Preserve ROW for 4-
lane divided roadway
Hartlee
Field Rd.
East of FM
428 - 3,800 2 lane
undivided
2 lane
undivided
Preserve ROW for 4-
lane divided roadway
Loop 288 West of FM
428 17,679 15,300 4 lane
divided
4 lane
divided
-
Loop 288 East of FM 428 19,387 23,400 4 lane divided 4 lane divided -
Near Term Solution
Currently, there are several new residential developments under construction in the vicinity of
the FM 428/Loop 288 interchange. Staff is aware that the existing intersections are controlled by
stop signs and are congested during the peak hours. As such, this interchange was identified and
included in the Small Transportation Projects (FY2018-19) for capacity upgrades (add lanes)
under the bridge as well as installation of a traffic signal. These improvements were funded by
City Council in the FY2018-19 budget and are currently under design. The construction of these
improvements is anticipated to be completed by end of this year.
CONCLUSION:
Based on the projected growth along the FM 428 corridor, the traffic analysis shows that the
street network in the northeast area of the City needs to be significantly upgraded. In the future
(year 2040), FM 428 should be widened to a four lane divided facility with right-of-way reserved
for a six lane facility. Additionally, several new arterials will be needed in the region to support
the overall growth. These long term improvement projects will be implemented in a phased
manner as new development in constructed in this area. In the near term, staff is working on the
engineering design for the FM 428/Loop 288 interchange improvement project which entails
Date: January, 11, 2019 Report No. 2019-004
capacity enhancements and traffic signals. The project is anticipated to be completed by end of
this year.
STAFF CONTACT:
Pritam Deshmukh, P.E.
City Traffic Engineer