As early voting begins Monday, Denton County voters will consider a transportation bond worth $650 million to fund road improvement projects throughout the county.
The Denton County Transportation Road Improvement Program 2022 (TRIP-22) is listed as Proposition A on the ballot. The program, if approved by voters, will fund more than 119 projects — including state highways, local arterials within cities, safety improvements and county roads and bridges — in more than 32 municipalities and unincorporated areas, according to a county news release.
The county called the bond election this summer as a way to keep up with population growth and the traffic problems that come with it. Denton County is routinely in the top 10 fastest growing counties in the nation by percentage. Denton County’s population grew approximately 43.5% from the 662,614 people who lived in the county in 2010 to an estimated 950,660 in 2022, according to the U.S. Census and the North Central Texas Council of Governments, and averages 82 new people a day.
“As more and more people choose to take advantage of all that Denton County has to offer, diligence is required to ensure that the transportation infrastructure will be in place to serve both existing and future residents,” said Denton County Judge Andy Eads. “We have seen our roads get more congested, leading to longer commutes and delays of our first responders heading to emergencies.”
Denton County Commissioners, working with transportation partners, have utilized the voter-approved proceeds of $187 million from the 2004 road bond program and $310 million from the 2008 road bond program to fund and construct more than $8.4 billion in roadway projects throughout the county.
“Our partnership with the Texas Department of Transportation and the North Central Texas Council of Governments has resulted in many transportation successes, including the widening of I-35E from the Denton/Dallas County line to U.S. 380 to add additional capacity throughout the corridor, widening FM 1171 from I-35E to I-35W to six lanes, extending FM 2499 from DFW Airport to I-35E in Denton, and the widening of FM 544, FM 423, FM 2181, FM 407 and many more,” Eads said.
Additional improvements are needed to I-35E, I-35 north of Denton and I-35W as the county’s population increases, officials said.
“Farm to Market roads in previously rural areas are struggling under the congestion occurring in the northern and eastern portions of our county. Roadways such as U.S. 377 through Pilot Point, FM 1385, FM 2931 and Loop 288 West need widening to meet the residents’ needs,” Eads said. “Our communities are linked by many arterial roadways such as these that have been operating at or above capacity rates for years, as well as small asphalt and substandard roads under stress from increased heavy truck and local traffic. Many new schools have been built and filled within Denton County, putting more strain on our overburdened system.”
Working closely with elected officials and staff from cities within Denton County, the Denton County Commissioners Court identified critical local roadway needs. TRIP-22 was planned and developed to provide Denton County with the tools needed to accommodate the county’s future growth. While providing the required local participation funds to advance the many TxDOT on-system projects critical to Denton County citizens, TRIP-22 is focused on local roads both within and between the communities across Denton County, according to the news release.
Denton County was able to complete transportation projects while managing its road bond debt to maintain an AAA bond rating, according to the county news release. Denton County is one of only seven counties out of the 254 counties in Texas to attain this rating. During that same period, the county’s tax rate has dropped from $0.28.49 per $100 property valuation in 2012 to $0.21.75 per $100 property valuation in 2022. Lowering the property tax rate to the lowest level in over three decades has resulted in Denton County having the lowest countywide tax rate of the 15 most populated counties in Texas.
Early voting begins Monday and ends Nov. 4, 2022. Election Day is Nov. 8.
For more information about individual projects, an interactive map and a list of projects, click here.
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