Construction to expand Country Club road, one of the district’s main routes, is set for expansion with work scheduled to begin later this year.

“The bridge over White Rock Creek is 30-plus years old and consists of a style of bridge that is no longer built by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT),” City of Lucas Public Works Director Stanton Forester said. “During each budget year, state and local governmental agencies allocate tax dollars for rehabilitation, maintenance, and repair of the existing roadway system.  State funds have been set aside to design and construct the new White Rock Creek bridge.  There might be a small amount of city funds allocated for the bridge project, but the city is waiting on information from TxDOT to determine if city participation is warranted.”

Four out of five schools in the district are located off of Country Club, however school traffic is not expected to be affected by said construction.

“We will be working with the schools to make sure that traffic is not impacted too greatly,” Collin County Area Engineer Barry Heard said. “Construction will take place during either an 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m. time slot or a 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. time slot, and the schools will ultimately decide what is best.”

For the City of Lucas, traffic should not be affected.

“TxDOT plans to build the new bridge in such a way that the need for detours will be avoided,” Forester said. “The new bridge will be constructed to the east of the existing bridge.  This will allow traffic to use the old bridge until the new bridge is ready. The project plans have not been sent to the city at this time, but typically this scheme of shifting from old to new is what TxDOT might follow.”

In addition to rebuilding the bridge at White Rock Creek, the current lanes will be expanded.

“The bridge and a short section of roadway will be wider than the current two-lane farm-to-market roadway,” Forester said. “Both will have pavement markings delineating two lanes.  So even though pavement might be a little wider, it will still be a two-lane roadway and bridge.”

Though construction towards the ultimate plan of a 6-lane road will not start for a while, rebuilding the infamously dangerous bridge is a step in the right direction.

“Per the long range planning of TxDOT and Collin County, Country Club Road from Stacy Road on the north to Parker Road on the south should be a six-lane divided roadway at some point in the future,” Forester said. “The existing two-lane roadway is consistent with desires of the City of Lucas. These three governmental agencies will work together to create the best engineering, political, environmental, and social solution that meets the needs of the motorists, voters, adjacent property owners, and citizens using the road for work, business, and play.  The goal is to meet the needs of the roadway users.”