This month, we officially welcomed Hilltop Truck Park on FM 407 into the Town of Northlake.
Although many residents already thought of Hilltop as part of Northlake, the property was previously located just outside our town limits. Following months of collaboration, the Town and the Arnold family reached a development agreement that brings Hilltop into Northlake and supports its plans for the future.
The Arnold family has deep roots here, having lived in our community for 57 years. Their vision includes expanding Hilltop into an even greater family-friendly destination, with a food hall-style venue, a nine-hole par-three golf course and additional gathering spaces. Hilltop will also become the home of Northlake’s fireworks celebrations, giving our community a wonderful setting to revive this hometown tradition.
This partnership allows Hilltop to grow while remaining locally owned and focused on bringing people together. It also brings the property under the protection of the Northlake Police Department and gives the Town an opportunity to help address safety along Thompson Road. I appreciate the Arnold family, Town Council, and our staff for working together to find an agreement that benefits Hilltop and the entire community. You can read more about the partnership in The Cross Timbers Gazette.
We are also finally seeing meaningful traffic relief at FM 407 and I-35W.
Lane striping beneath the interstate was completed in late July, allowing two lanes of traffic to travel eastbound through the underpass and, for a short distance, westbound as well. Drivers should remain cautious because the additional lane merges quickly after passing beneath the bridge. Please pay close attention to the pavement markings and give other drivers room as everyone adjusts to the new pattern.
The difference has already been remarkable. When the left-turn lanes become crowded, through traffic can now continue beneath I-35W instead of becoming trapped behind turning vehicles. On the first full day of the new configuration, I personally observed no significant backups in any direction, including at Harvest Way. I have not seen traffic move that well through this area in more than five years.
In recent days, I have noticed the backups returning, but when I finally get past Harvest Way, I have seen a completely empty and unused lane! Residents can help keep traffic moving by using both straight-through lanes while waiting at the red light. The newly paved lane was added specifically to increase the number of vehicles that can move through each light cycle, but many drivers are still stacking in only the far left lane. If both lanes are not fully used, traffic will continue backing up toward Harvest Way. Please use both lanes, follow the pavement markings, and merge carefully after passing beneath the bridge.
I know how exhausting this intersection has been for our residents. Many of you have planned your mornings, school pickups, appointments and family time around traffic that should never have been this difficult. This improvement does not solve every problem, but it is real progress, and it is wonderful to finally see some relief.
I want to thank Denton County Commissioner Dianne Edmondson, County Judge Andy Eads, and the Town’s transportation consultants at Innovative Transportation Solutions for their persistence and hard work with TxDOT, utility relocations and the many other obstacles involved. This has been a hard-fought battle, and reaching this point required years of advocacy and coordination.
Next on the list is the larger FM 407 breakout project, which will provide six lanes between Cleveland Gibbs Road and Gateway Boulevard in Argyle. We currently expect construction to begin sometime between spring and summer 2027, although all TxDOT schedules remain subject to change. Several utility relocations and other preparations must still be completed before construction can move forward.
Better late than never, but we will continue pushing to keep it moving.
We are also working strategically with TxDOT, Denton County, and our other partners to advance the long-planned I-35W frontage roads. When those frontage roads are constructed, the interchanges will be fully rebuilt into permanent configurations similar to those found elsewhere across the Metroplex. Depending on the location, those reconstructed crossings could ultimately provide as many as 10 lanes beneath the interstate.
These larger projects will not happen overnight, and I will never pretend that progress moves as quickly as any of us would like. Still, the improvement at FM 407 shows why we continue advocating, coordinating, and pushing. After years of frustration, we can finally see what even one completed piece of the larger plan can do for our community.
