Phase I of Copper Canyon Road opened to traffic Monday morning after a ceremonial ribbon cutting took place, led by Denton County Commissioner Andy Eads and Copper Canyon Mayor Sue Tejml.

“This project had been on Denton County’s plans for years and I am glad to see it finally become a reality for our residents,” said Eads. “Copper Canyon Road is one of the busiest traveled county roads and is a major north/south connector.”

Construction crews replaced an aging asphalt road with a concrete driving surface, straightened out some of the sharp curves, widened the lanes, constructed new shoulders, and improved the drainage.

“This is a safety improvement for the area, especially since there is a new fire station on this road,” said Eads.

“Storm water used to flood across the roadway, closing down the road during heavy rains. These improvements should eliminate that problem and make the road safer for the traveling public.”

While the project looks like a typical road you might see within the city limits, care was taken to preserve the property rights and reduce the right-of-way acquisition which also helped preserve the native trees, said Eads.

“The rural look and feel of the area was preserved.”

This is the first of four phases to rebuild the road from FM 407 to Hickory Hill Road. 

Hickory Hill was rebuilt by the county in 2008 in advance of the new elementary and middle schools being opened in Lantana.

With Phase I complete, two-way traffic from FM 407 to Winding Creek Way will resume.

Phase II and Phase III will be under construction at the same time from Winding Creek Way to the south side of Orchid Hill Lane. 

In order to construct Phase II and Phase III it will be necessary to build one side of the road at a time.  Therefore, only one-way, northbound traffic will be allowed on Copper Canyon in the work zone, Eads said.

“We appreciate the patience of the traveling public as they have endured the detour routes the past few months. There were significant unexpected construction challenges with this phase and we hope to not experience them during the remaining phases,” said Eads.