howeenterprise.com
Monday, December 5, 2016
Page #6
Expansions of US Highway 75 being planned; Howe has hopes of bridge
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TxDOT drawing of an interchange connecting L.B. Kirby Ave to Hall Cemetery Road.
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The Sherman-Denison Metropolitan Planning Organization's TAC (Technical Advisory Committee) met with IEA (an engineering consulting firm) on Wednesday at the TxDOT office in Sherman to discuss the plans of expansion of US Highway 75 in Grayson County from County Line Bridge in Van Alstyne to the Red River. The biggest effect this would have on Howe would be an additional interchange connecting L.B. Kirby Ave. by the Dollar General to Hall Cemetery Road by Abbington Meadows apartments. According to initial grading scales as well as public input, it appears that the interchange will score high enough to be able to be included in the expansion process, but final decisions have yet to be made. Howe was represented in the meeting by City Administrator Joe Shephard and Economic Development Director Monte Walker.
highest rated project needed for improvements is the interchange of US Highway 75 and US Highway 82. Much discussion has taken place over the last year regarding options to create an easier flow from one highway to the other and bypassing the multiple red lights that currently hampers traffic flow. Denison citizens spoke the loudest on the survey as a ramp reversal from US Highway 69 to Texas Highway 91 surveyed a close second of public importance. Denison also scored number three and four on the survey list of projects with a six-lane expansion project and main lane maintenance from US 69 to Texas Highway 91.
Grayson County's public indicated that Howe's Hall Cemetery interchange ranked 15 of the 48 projects listed in the improvement projects. Howe also has a ramp reversal on the project The categories of projects are weighted on a list that would alleviate a safety concern from percentage scale according to importance. US Highway 75 exiting southbound into the Safety is the number one concern and was Bicentennial Park ballfield entrance. That given 33.75 percent. Maintenance and System ranked 20 of the 48 projects. There was one Efficiency was granted 23.75 percent and vote for an expansion of the Farmington Road Congestion and Freight Reliability at 21.25 interchange at the south entrance to Howe and percent. The three least important areas of no public votes for an additional interchange at grading were Economic Vitality (11.25 Cavender Road to Dicken Road. percent), Transportation Choices (6.25 percent) and Environmental Sustainability (3.75 While Howe is in the beginning stages of percent). single-family housing growth, the need for an additional artery crossing Highway 75 will be Howe's interchange would score well in the more prominent due to schools having to bus Maintenance and System Efficiency category students from one side of town to the other. due to its consistency with Howe's Howe ISD has plans for future campuses to be thoroughfare plans and comments made in located on the west side of the highway. prior TAC committee discussions. Currently, the only accesses to the west side of Howe from the east is through Haning Street, Grayson County citizens had the opportunity to FM 902 and Farmington/Blythe Road. Easy voice their opinion on future expansion mobility throughout a city is also a large factor projects through a survey issued throughout on attracting commercial businesses such as September. As expected, the public saw the Howe's much needed grocer.
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