Driving on cracked, two-lane roads will soon be a thing of the past for Fairview and Allen residents. With Stacy road set to be developed this year, construction currently taking place on Exchange Parkway, in residential areas, and on Highway 75; locals will have faster, safer commutes as soon as this Fall.

“The City of Allen is underway with construction of Exchange Parkway from Alma Drive to US 75, and from Greenville Avenue to Allen Heights Drive,” Director of Allen Engineering Department Chris Flanigan said. “Completion of this project is expected in October of 2014, and TxDOT will begin construction of Stacy Road from Greenville Avenue to FM 1378 in the Summer of 2015. The length of time for construction has not yet been determined, but is expected to last a year to two years.”

Lanes will be added to each road to ensure that drivers will have safer, easier commutes.

“Exchange Parkway will be widened from a four lane divided roadway to a six lane divided roadway with accompanying traffic signal and striping modifications,” Flanigan said.  “Stacy Road will be widened from the existing two lane asphalt roadway to a four lane concrete median-divided roadway. Signal modifications are planned for all three Stacy Road intersections at Greenville Avenue, Angel Parkway and FM 1378.”

Despite the road construction, traffic inconveniences are not expected to be too great.

“Substantial detours off the corridors are not anticipated,” Flanigan said. “However, lane closures and access interruptions will vary throughout the course of construction.”

In the City of Fairview roads are primarily asphalt, prone to cracking and foundation failure, and need to be redone more often than concrete.

“The asphalt is over 15 years old and cracking and breaking,” Fairview Town Engineer James Chancellor said. “There may be evident of base failure. A typical asphalt street, with little maintenance, will have a lifespan of 15-20 years.”

While no detours are expected, Fairview residents should expect a few minor disturbances.

“There will be a few delays in traffic, depending on where the machines are working,” Chancellor said. “There will be dust and fresh oil at times, in addition to noise and the loss of the peaceful quiet for one to two weeks. However the finished construction will result in a smoother ride, and will be aesthetically pleasing and visually appealing to the neighborhoods.”

But it’s not just local roadways that will undergo construction. Highway 75 is currently being widened with worked expected to last for at least two years.

“The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is currently widening US-75 to provide one additional lane in both directions on the freeway (to make a total of four),” Flanigan said. “That project was just recently initiated and is expected to last 30 months.”

Although there will be minor disturbances during construction, the finished roadways will facilitate commutes and make for a safer community.

“As the community and the region continues to grow traffic volumes continue to increase as well,” Flanigan said. “These projects are implemented to address increased traffic for the present day and plan for the future, not just for Allen residents but those that travel through our community.”