The FM 407 road improvement project in Highland Village/Flower Mound is back in gear after more than two years of delays.
“It’s been a utility nightmare,” said Highland Village City Manager Michael Leavitt.
The project consists of widening 1.16 miles of FM 407 from Briarhill Boulevard to Chinn Chapel Road from two to four lanes. The road is a dividing line between the City of Highland Village and the Town of Flower Mound, and much of the area’s infrastructure runs along beside it.
“Way back when they first built FM 407, it was identified as where all the telecommunications lines for southern Denton County were supposed to go. There are telephone lines, fiber optic lines, gas and water lines…everything in the world is on 407,” said Leavitt.
“So for two and a half years they have been doing nothing but struggling to get all the utilities out of the way. At one point the contractor literally packed up and moved on to other projects until the issues were resolved.”
Leavitt said that it appears that everything is finally out of the way and the contractor has gone back to work.
“They back and they are going to really tear it up now.”
Last Thursday, TxDOT moved eastbound traffic to a new temporary lane on the south side of the road. It is anticipated that TxDOT will close and move the westbound lane to the existing eastbound lane this Wednesday, June 20.
The estimated completion date, according to the Town of Flower Mound, is now July 2013. But don’t hold your breath.
Leavitt said that when the project wraps up, a traffic signal will be added at either Tartan Trail or Barnett Blvd.
“We’re waiting for the Town of Flower Mound to update their Thoroughfare Master Plan to determine which intersection will get a stoplight,” said Leavitt.
