County transportation consultant outlines FM 407 and 35W breakout plans, cites utility and ROW delays

John Polster, a consultant with Innovative Transportation Solutions, briefed the council on a suite of Denton County‑led projects that the county plans to fund around FM 407 and 35W, saying those projects are being advanced in segments and that utility relocations and right‑of‑way acquisition have pushed timelines and costs higher. "So the 1st project I wanna go over is the FM 407 North Lake Justin project," Polster said, describing the selected 12th Street ("red") alignment and work the county has already funded on environmental clearance and utility coordination.

Polster said breakout work is intended as an interim approach to improve traffic flow until full reconstruction can be let by TxDOT. He told council members the county has shifted funding categories to avoid state letting caps and is prepared to pay for interim frontage‑road work: "We just need to do a tip mod to switch the category so that we can get headquarters to see this as a project," Polster said. He reported that some segments originally estimated at about $14 million now show costs nearer $40 million and that county spending has already covered more than $5 million in environmental, PS&E and utility‑relocation effort.

Councilors asked about immediate actions the town or residents can take to influence the schedule. Polster said coordination with utility providers remains the critical path: several poles and service relocations still must be completed on the north side of the corridor, and some parcels remain in eminent‑domain or negotiation status. He noted the county is pursuing interim improvements such as signal installations and turn‑lane extensions to mitigate congestion while long‑term projects proceed.