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Joshua board backs TxDOT27s FM 917 overpass concept, including a park beneath the roadway
Summary
The Joshua Type B Economic Development Corporation and Parks Board voted unanimously to approve a resolution expressing support for the FM 917 grade separation concept, a TxDOT-led plan that would realign FM 917 as an overpass and deliver a park to the city at no construction cost to local government.
Mr. Peacock presented a TxDOT and Council of Governments plan to realign FM 917 as an overpass and build a park beneath the structure, and the board voted unanimously to express conceptual support.
The proposal would move FM 917 slightly north of the current 14th Street corridor, carry the roadway over the railroad and create parkland under the elevated route. "They're not asking for any money," Mr. Peacock said, describing an arrangement in which TxDOT would construct the overpass and associated park amenities and then turn the park over to the city for maintenance. The plan includes LED lighting, turf open space for events, dog parks, courts and restroom facilities.
Mr. Peacock said the overpass option could save "millions" compared with an underpass and would avoid lengthy permitting and railroad realignment work that had delayed the underpass alternative. He also said the change in approach resolves a long-standing drainage concern associated with digging a deep underpass near Buffalo Creek.
Board members pressed for details on property impacts and timeline. Mr. Peacock said 13 properties would be displaced by the project, one of which is a city-owned animal shelter that would be rebuilt elsewhere. He estimated, based on TxDOT remarks, that construction crews could be in a position to start work in 2027 but emphasized that cost estimates and exact schedules had not yet been finalized.
A special council meeting is scheduled to present larger-format renderings of the plan at True Life Church on Thursday evening, and Mr. Peacock urged board members and residents to attend. When the resolution was called, a motion to "approve a resolution expressing support for the project" was moved, seconded and carried by unanimous voice vote.
The resolution is limited to expressing conceptual support; Mr. Peacock and other speakers stressed that it does not commit city funds or bind the city to specific design details. TxDOT, the North Central Texas Council of Governments and other partners will continue design and outreach work before any property acquisitions or construction contracts proceed.
What happens next: the City Council will review the larger presentation and discuss the concept; if the city continues to endorse the concept, formal design, acquisition and construction steps would follow with TxDOT as the project lead.
