Two of Allen's busiest corridors are in line for major widening projects after the city's Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously recommended a new five-year Capital Improvement Program on Tuesday, Aug. 4.
The proposed 2027-31 CIP calls for adding a fifth and sixth lane to Exchange Parkway between SH 121 and Alma Drive, and widening Watters Road from SH 121 to Exchange Parkway.
Both are listed as planned design projects for fiscal year 2026-27, meaning engineering work would begin before construction, according to Community Impact, which first reported the details.
Assistant Director of Engineering Kevin Ferrer presented the CIP to commissioners but did not include cost estimates or specific funding sources for either road project.
"It's a dynamic, five-year outlook of our proposed projects, and is updated and adjusted yearly at the end of the fiscal year," Ferrer said at the Aug. 4 meeting.
The commission voted 6-0, with Commissioner Tim Voss absent.
What it means for drivers
Exchange Parkway and Watters Road both connect to SH 121, linking Allen's residential neighborhoods to the highway system. No traffic volume data for those specific corridors has been released, and the city has not stated a congestion rationale for the projects.
The city already has roughly $8.5 million in road and sidewalk projects underway this summer, as we reported July 17, including signal upgrades at Bethany Drive and Main Street intersections and an asphalt overlay on McDermott Drive.
The new CIP road projects would layer on top of that existing work once they move past the design phase.
Separately, a TxDOT project approved in November 2025 will install traffic management technology on US 75 from Exchange Parkway in Allen to Wilson Creek in McKinney at a cost of $657,422. That state-funded effort is not part of the city's CIP.
Other CIP priorities
Beyond roads, the plan includes about $18 million in parks projects funded by roughly $5.8 million in sales tax revenue and $12.2 million from general obligation bonds. Parks Director Kate Meacham told commissioners the city plans to stagger three regional park projects: Spirit Park in early 2027, Ford Park in spring 2027 and Celebration Park in late summer 2027.
Additional design-phase projects include an aerial crossing at Whisenant Estates, Greenville sanitary sewer replacement, Main Street and Butler Drive streetscape improvements and a Rockridge water main replacement.
What's next
P&Z Commission Chair Dan Metevier said Allen City Council will take final action on the 2027-31 CIP at its Tuesday, Sept. 8 meeting. No public hearing details have been announced.
