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Engineering recommends median shift and u‑turn configuration to ease congestion at Old Denton/Frankfurt interchange
Summary
City engineering staff recommended a small median realignment and construction phasing (temporary median lanes) on the Frankfurt Road project to add stacking capacity and speed construction, the council was briefed on study findings and construction traffic management.
City engineering staff told council that a traffic study for the West Side segment of the Frankfurt Road project recommends a modest median shift at the Old Denton/Frankfurt interchange to provide a u‑turn and additional stacking for left‑turning traffic.
Jonathan Wheat, director of engineering, said the overall project covers about 13 lane miles under design and that the study focused on localized bottlenecks. "Based on the traffic counts, it supports us making the shift," Wheat said, describing how the median opening would move to create a dedicated u‑turn and reduce stacking on the main turn lane.
Staff reported that peak left‑turn stacking was about 270 cars per hour at peak and that the proposed shift would provide room for additional stacking without fully closing the median or removing access to adjacent shopping centers. Wheat said drivers would still be able to reach the shopping center by turning north on Old Denton or using the new u‑turn configuration.
For construction staging, staff recommended using temporary lanes in the median to maintain two‑way traffic while crews perform machine concrete pours, which staff said yields faster, higher‑quality results. Engineering staff also proposed carrying Carrollton-style median landscaping from an existing Old Denton template into the Frankfurt Road finish work, including new street lights where appropriate.
Wheat told council the project expects additional water and sewer work that will add cost, but that the county is subsidizing a portion of the project, and the city’s goal is to advertise the first section for bid later in the year with construction starting late this year or early next year.
Council asked about signal timing, and staff said traffic signal timing adjustments would be part of the improvement package. The staff briefing was presented for council information and no council direction to change the design was recorded in the meeting.
