FM 407 is a mess of traffic, but a small bit of relief could be coming as Denton County announced it will start work on a “micro breakout” project at the I-35W interchange at the beginning of 2026.
The “breakout of the breakout,” as it is referred to by Denton County transportation consultant John Polster, will provide relief for drivers because the ultimate FM 407 widening and realignment project between FM 1830 and FM 156, and the original FM 407 “breakout” project at I-35W have been delayed with no start date due to TxDOT budget cuts.
Denton County will be paying for the $40 million project.
“We know the breakout of the ultimate is delayed because of things out of our control, we know the ultimate is delayed because of things out of our control, but the interim of the interim is in our control,” said Polster. “So, you should start to see us checking utilities and, we’re hoping by January or February, you guys are out there going ‘man, the county did a good job… thank you.'”
Polster explained that the original FM 407 project was delayed because a “level-letting” restriction was put into effect, which prevents TxDOT from spending more than $10 billion in letting per year. Once they hit that mark, projects get pushed to the next year. So, the I-35W frontage road project got moved to 2027.
The plan is to let the project in September via a “local on-system agreement,” which Polster said is likely only possible because Denton County’s Engineer, Tina Massey, formerly worked at TxDOT.
“Tina Massey has 20-30 years of experience building state roads,” he said. “So, TxDOT is allowing the county to come in and build on their network because they know our county engineer is former TxDOT and can do it.”
In early 2026, the county plans to move guardrails back on FM 407 at I-35W, allowing five lanes of traffic to go through. It will be two lanes through in each direction and a split left turn lane. The county would ultimately like to get two left turn lanes at the interchange.
On the west side of I-35W, the “micro breakout” will add an extended right turn lane for drivers going eastbound on FM 407 and entering I-35W going southbound.
Also, the “micro breakout” will add an extended right turn lane for drivers going southbound on I-35W and turning right onto westbound FM 407.
Polster said if all goes well, the project should be completed in 8-9 months after kickoff, which allows traffic to still flow through the area while construction occurs.
A timeline of traffic turmoil
The original FM 407 project was brought to TxDOT in late 2019 when the county tried to move forward with the project, but progress was delayed in 2020 when leaders from Justin and Northlake couldn’t agree on a route, according to Polster.
Denton County then moved on to a project on FM 1171.
Sometime after 2020, Justin and Northlake agreed on a route and the county began working with TxDOT to start environmental clearance for the project.
Local leaders came to the county and TxDOT in June 2022, emphasizing the problems at FM 407 and I-35W. In response, the county set a target date of September 2025 to start construction.
According to Polster, the cost of the project at the time was $14 million, but the state had no money for engineering or clearance, so the county agreed to fund the advanced planning, design and construction of the FM 407 breakout at I-35W while waiting for TxDOT to get funding for the ultimate project.
Today, the project is estimated to cost $40 million, which the county is still committed to funding. So far, the county has spent more than $5 million in engineering.
When the county agreed in June 2022 to set the September 2025 goal, the right-of-way process, which is how the county obtains land, was expected to take three months.
The county hoped some landowners would donate the land, but it didn’t work out that way and the process ended up taking 15 months.
“I’m not complaining or harassing, you don’t want the government to come in and be able to take your property easily,” said Polster. “So, the fact that it took longer was because the impact to the (Corral City) gas station was higher than Hillwood thought and we had to work through that process and that pushed utilities.”
Then, in June 2024, TxDOT’s right-of-way and consultant budget was cut and they began the “level-let” restrictions, which led to the county’s plan for a “breakout of the breakout.”
“Even though [the county is] paying for it, if [TxDOT] has to let the project, it counts against the letting cap,” said Polster.
Despite problems under past councils, Justin Mayor James Clark said the current council is committed to working together with anyone that can help get the project done.
“We’re aligned, we’re working together and we recognize it matters to everyone here and it matters to us,” he said.
Other than an idea from Argyle Mayor Ron Schmidt to extend Gateway Drive up to Sam Davis Road to help ease traffic, Town Manager Mike Sims said the Town is hopeful, but it is a ‘wait and see’ situation.
“Right now, the big message is a thank you to Denton County Judge Andy Eads because he has been a leader in trying to make sure that the county is helping on this topic,” said Sims. “And we want to make sure we do whatever we can do to help TxDOT and help the county because they’re really, particularly the county, trying to take some ownership of this and get an improvement done.”
Denton City Mayor Gerard Hudspeth said there are still ongoing conversations with Hillwood about adding infrastructure. For now, he wants to see what can be done to better prepare the future and getting feedback from residents.
Planning for the future at Robson Ranch Road
In late 2024, Polster said Commissioner Dianne Edmondson began to work with the county for a breakout project on Robson Ranch Road that would place traffic signals at the future H-E-B near I-35W and the intersection of Gibbs Road at Robson Ranch Road.
The county is paying for the signals and will also add a crosswalk. In addition, the county said it is also willing to pay for traffic signals at the future I-35W frontage roads at Robson Ranch Road, but the City of Denton has to submit a request since it is in their territory.
What roadwork has been done on the west side of Denton County?
According to Polster, since 2019, the county and state worked together on the FM 114/FM 156 interchange, the Highway 114/170 interchange, the expansion of 114, the 114/Highway 377 interchange, 377/Fort Worth Drive, 377 in Roanoke, 114 in front of Texas Motor Speedway and direct connect ramps at 114/I-35W.
(Note: a previous version of this article reported the level-let cap was $10 million, which has been updated to $10 billion)
