• Residents march to protest Morriss-Gerault expansion
• Residents voice concern during transporation committee meeting
• Morriss/Gerault Road expansion project is a hot topic in Flower Mound

 The town of Flower Mound will start tapping into a $105 million funding agreement with the Texas Department of Transportation with construction on Spinks Road in June.

The four-lane thoroughfare would direct traffic from Duncan Lane to Farm Road 2499 and ultimately create a direct connection from FM 2499 east to State Highway 121 in Lewisville city limits, according to a town of Flower Mound news release.

The other projects included in the funding agreement, which was approved at a town council meeting May 4, are Flower Mound Road, Garden Ridge Road (phase four), FM 1171 (section two), FM 1171 (section three), FM 377, FM 407 and Morriss/Gerault Road.

Morriss/Gerault Road is expected to be expanded to six lanes beginning in 2010 to allow for the increase in traffic projected from a planned commercial and residential development, the River Walk at Central Park.

The discussion of the road’s expansion has been a heated topic among the residents, town council and transportation commission. However, approval of the funding agreement does not mean the Morriss/Gerault Road project has been actually approved, said Mark Wood, the town’s community affairs specialist.

If the Morriss/Gerault Road expansion project were approved, the project would receive $10.7 million in toll revenue, Wood said.

If the expansion is not approved, the toll revenue would be returned to the region and other projects would compete for those funds. But the town would still get the funding for the other projects, Wood said.

Wood said these projects will be funded only through external funding.

“We worked with the Regional Transportation Council and explained the need for these projects,” he said. “By obtaining this outside funding, taxpayers won’t have to pay and town won’t accrue any debt.”

About $26 million from the funding agreement and the county bond will fund the Spinks Road, Dickson Lane, Flower Mound Road, Garden Ridge Road and Morriss/Gerault projects, Wood said. Without that external funding, the town would accrue $40 million to $50 million, principle plus interest, in debt for those projects, he said.

“We are diligently pursuing external funding sources to keep property tax rates as one of the lowest in the Metroplex,” he said. “We will continue to seek outside funds in the future.”

More on Morriss

Residents can voice opinions at the Flower Mound Transportation Commission’s public forum at 6:30 p.m. May 26 at Town Hall, 2121 Cross Timbers.

Follow our reports and post your comments on the Morriss Road/Gerault Road project at neighborsgo.com/blog/growingpains.

Lindsey Bever is a reporter with neighborsgo and can be reached at 972-436-5551 ext. 3004 or via e-mail at lbever@neighborsgo.com. If you have a story, photo or video you'd like to share, please post it directly on neighborsgo.com.