Prosper residents were loud and clear Thursday night as they expressed their opposition to a highway expansion that could cut through their small town and negatively impact home values.
“We strongly, strongly, strongly believe that such a bypass in the heart of our town would represent a multi-generational path of destruction through our community,” said Jim Bridges, president of the Prosper ISD school board. “Let’s keep 380 on 380.”
The school board and town council have passed resolutions opposing any alignment of U.S. 380 that would bisect Prosper. It appeared that the vast majority of the 100-plus attendees at Thursday’s rally stand in agreement with that opposition.
Public comment on the proposed U.S. 380 project is due to the Texas Department of Transportation by Wednesday, April 6. District Engineer Jennifer Vorster could not be reached for comment Thursday morning, and TxDOT representatives did not attend the Prosper rally.
According to a presentation TxDOT hosted on March 22, the purpose of the 380 project is to manage congestion, improve east-west mobility, and improve safety.
TxDOT is proposing an eight-lane freeway along the U.S. 380 corridor from Coit Road in Prosper (west of McKinney) to F.M. 1827 (east of McKinney) in Collin County. With two-lane feeder roads on either side, residents argue that it actually becomes a 12-lane “mega-highway.” Prosper residents are specifically opposed to Segment B, one of several schematics on which residents are invited to comment.
United As Prosper
State Rep. Matt Shaheen (R-Plano) said he plans to issue a letter on state letterhead opposing Segment B.
The 27-square-mile town of Prosper is in Collin and Denton counties. Its school district, however, covers 56 square miles and serves residents who live in Prosper, Frisco, Celina, Denton, and McKinney.
“Prosper holds a pretty special place in my heart,” said the former Collin County commissioner.
Town council member Marcus Ray encouraged residents Thursday to fill out comment cards and remain engaged as the project goes forward.
“Take a look around this room,” he said. “With very short notice, in a short time frame, we can be united as Prosper. What brought many of us to this community was the sense of community, the schools.”
Residents’ concerns range from home values to environmental hazards, and noise. Businesses such as ManeGait Therapeutic Horsemanship on Custer Road would be wiped out if Segment B is approved, residents have said. Zach Schneider, president and CEO of Tradition Homes and a board member at ManeGait, spoke out against Option B during Thursday’s event.
“Our voices were heard [in 2019] and we’re confident they will be heard now,” Schneider said.
The Prosper Town Council has passed six resolutions since 2017 opposing any U.S. 380 project that does not follow the existing route.
“The comment cards matter,” Ray said. “A handful is great, but a multitude is a much better response. Be engaged locally. We’re engaged about things we love. We’re passionate about our community. We need to rally. It’s time to let TxDOT know that any option, any segment, coming through Prosper is unacceptable.”
‘We Will Not Sit Idly By’
Based on a timeline released at the March 22 public hearing, it could be a decade before the project is complete. Residents, however, say it’s important to mobilize now and protect their small community.
“I, for one, am not OK with 12 lanes of highway roaring through the heart of Prosper, tearing up neighborhoods, driving down property values and tax revenues, putting our young drivers at risk, and endangering our students,” said Bridges, the school board president. “So even though the dirt may not be turning for many years, I will stand with those fighting Option B. We will not sit idly by while what we have worked to create, what those before us have worked to create, what those coming behind us are destined to enjoy, is paved over by a 12-lane highway.”
