Neighbors Go

The following article appears in Friday's Dallas Morning News Neighbors Go edition.
Our thanks to reporter Lindsey Bever.

Because of community concern about the expansion of Morriss/Gerault Road, the Flower Mound Transportation Commission is conducting a workshop on the project April 21.

The four-lane road is expected to be expanded to six lanes between farm roads 407 and 2499 starting in winter 2010 to accommodate the increased traffic flow from the River Walk at Central Park, a future commercial and residential development, said Michael Ryan, director of community affairs.

“Our goal is to proactively address traffic issues before they affect quality of life rather than reactively expand the road once the traffic is already here,” Ryan said.

Ryan said the projected increase in traffic by 2020 is about 37 percent during the day and about 50 percent at night.

“This road was designed to where we don’t have to expand the road,” Ryan said, adding that its median was built so that the road wouldn’t have to widen.

But residents such as Kim Berg, who created a blog (stopmorriss6.blogspot.com) to inform the community on the project, oppose the expansion, asking for additional traffic studies.

“We just don’t think the information is accurate,” Berg said. “We appreciate the city being proactive but only if they have the right data and citizen participation in the entire project.”

Berg said the town’s transportation commission is asking for resident input in the project but Berg is asking for the commission to include the option of no expansion.

“We are 100 percent totally against the expansion and we want it stopped,” Berg said. “It’s going to turn our city into a whole new beast. It’s going to increase traffic, noise and safety concerns.”

Ryan said a preliminary evaluation of safety concerns for ForestwoodMiddle School and MarcusHigh School, which are along Morriss Road, are not an issue.

“We have committed to ensuring the school district stays up to date and involved with this project,” Ryan said.

Lewisville ISD spokeswoman Karen Permetti said the Lewisville ISD board of trustees has no position on the issue because it’s a city project.

The 12- to18-month project is expected to cost between $11 million and $15 million. But taxpayers are not funding the project.

Ryan said the expansion of Morriss/Gerault Road is being funded through the revenue from the Sam Rayburn Tollway (formerly the 121 Tollway), Denton County Roadway Bond revenue and Five Star Development, the developer of the River Walk at Central Park.

Transportation Commission meeting

When: 6:30 p.m. April 21

Where: Town Hall, 2121 Cross Timbers

Details: The Transportation Commission will talk about the Morriss/Gerault Road project and give the community a chance to comment. A date for the public hearing will be set during the workshop.

Meet the Candidates

When: 7 p.m. April 30

Where: StoneCreekPark on Wilkerson Field, 2800 Garden Road

Details: Candidates for town council will share their views on the expansion of Morriss/Gerault Road as well as other issues such as taxes and oil and gas.