Hickory Creek Road Phase 3 Project

TRAFFIC CHANGES - Started TUESDAY, MAY 27, 2025

REMINDER - As communicated below - Hilltop Road was CLOSED to traffic this morning and will remain closed through summer. See map below for a Detour Route.

Heads Up - The northbound SHOULDER on US 377 at Hilltop Road will be closed this week. A barricade will be installed on the edge of the road to separate and protect drivers and workers during the construction of the new right-turn lane.

GOOD NEWS - WAZE and GOOGLE Maps have updated their on-line maps showing the closure. Why is this good news? Because you can tell folks that plan to visit you to use either of those Navigation Apps to find you PLUS many delivery & service companies will also have access to the UPDATED route to help them stay on schedule!

For LOCALS - There will be some mental-muscle memory to remember the road is closed. Forgetting is OK - Just find a safe place to turn around if you reach the Barricades - do NOT drive through or around the barricades.

For BIKERS (motorcycles and bicyclists) and PEDESTRIANS (walkers, joggers, runners, etc.) and ALL OTHER road users - Do not cross the Construction Barricades. The project is now an ACTIVE Construction Zone, and the barricades are for safety. There will be an increase in construction vehicles, materials and equipment deliveries. Please respect the workers and the work zone.

TRAFFIC IMPACTS - Starting TUESDAY, MAY 27, 2025

GOOD NEWS - Construction has started again! You've likely seen Mario Sinacola moving dirt on site.

WHAT TO EXPECT NEXT - Equipment is being delivered to the site, grading and construction traffic is starting, and the biggest impact - a ROAD Closure. This may not impact everyone so read below to better understand the impacts, if any, to you.

• ROAD CLOSURE- Hilltop Road at Country Club (FM 1830) needs to be closed. I am betting one or all of these QUESTIONS are running thru your head so I'm going to try to answer them:
  • "ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!??"
    • I'm afraid not. The closure is necessary.
  • "HAVEN'T WE BEEN THRU ENOUGH DETOURS??"
    • This closure will not be during the entire project, relatively short term over the summer.
  • "WHY?"
    • The road is old, worn out, bumpy, it floods, it's dirt (or mud!), it's got to go!!
  • "WHEN ?"
    • Start: Tuesday May 27, 2025 - AFTER morning Rush Hour
    • Re-Open Estimate: September 30, 2025 (follow this site for updates)
  • "HOW?"
    • LOOK FOR MESSAGE BOARDS for dates/times/changes/detours
    • FOLLOW the Detour Signs
    • See Map Below for the general detour route
    • Google Maps and WAZE Maps have been notified
  • "WHAT GOOD WILL COME OF THIS?"
    • The closure will take place over summer months - this will have the least impact to school traffic and general commuter traffic.
    • No more curvy, dirty, bumpy road always needing grading.
    • The quicker we rebuild this section of road the quicker we can re-open it. This will provide nicer road during the rest of the road/bridge construction period.
    • During this closure, a new right-turn lane (northbound Country Club onto new Hickory Creek Road) will also be constructed.

Happy St. Patrick's Day - The City has continued to make progress on getting the Hickory Creek Road Phase 3 project back into construction. We sincerely appreciate your patience, and questions. This project is extremely important to the City and will offer such a great benefits and traffic relief when complete. As of today, we are continuing to work with the contractor on an exact date for starting work. The target has been 1st Quarter 2025 and that still may happen but construction most likely won't kick off until April 2025. Construction will take approximately 18 months once started. The following successes over the past couple of weeks include several hurdles to the project's timeline:

• 3/14/25 Gas foam line Utility conflict cleared.
• 3/5/25 TxDOT Approved work in TxDOT right of way for new road tie-in and new northbound right turn lane from Country Club/FM 1830 to new Hickory Creek Road
• 3/3/25 Railroad agreement executed. I cannot tell you how significant this accomplishment has been. Coordination with the Railroad started years ago. In fact, the plans were submitted to the railroad 8/24/2021 and approved 2/4/2022. The agreement was almost approved in 2023 but the KCS and CP railroads merged and EVERYTHING that was coordinated needed to start from scratch with the newly formed CPKC railroad. Council approved the agreement 12/17/2024 and, as noted, the Railroad just approved the agreement on Monday March 3, 2025.
• Underway - Atmos Gas - New Line is in construction (not part of Hickory Creek Road Project but coordinated).

Please stay tuned to this page for updates on the start date and future construction progress. For those with more questions - you are welcome to use the Ask the Project Team in this webpage or if easier - please don't hesitate to contact me directly at Tracy.Beck@CityofDenton.com

Quick update - The City is working with the contractor to determine an exact date when Phase 3 of the Hickory Creek Road/Bridge project will resume. The City has made significant progress including coordination with the CPKC Railroad, Oncor Electric, Atmos Gas, and the new Parkside development. Please stay tuned to this page for updates on the start date and future construction progress.

QUICK update - We don't have an exact date when we will RESTART Hickory Creek Road/Bridge Phase 3 but we are continually making progress on the remaining items. For example - you may have noticed work in the area (such as new and removed utility poles). You will also see Atmos gas coming thru with a new line on the east side of the new bridge. Although the new road/bridge work won't be able to start by the close of this year, it's promising to kick off in the early new year. Stay tuned to this page for updates on the actual start date as well as ongoing updates through construction.

Thank you all for your patience! I'm the new Project Manager as of August and I know you have been waiting for this project to start and I know it's been a challenge for you. We are actively working behind the scenes to start the project back up. No one intended for this delay. Contractors and Inspectors are happiest in the field and I LOVE getting projects across the finish line. Stay tuned for updates. We're trying get started as soon as possible.

Tracy