Southern Denton County, Texas, is getting a $39.7 million overhaul of one of its most congested corridors, with US 377 set to be widened from a two-lane road into a four-lane divided highway through a stretch that has been swallowed by suburban development faster than its infrastructure could keep up.
The project covers the segment from south of FM 1171 to Crawford Road, running through the Argyle and Northlake area, which has been among the fastest-growing zones in the entire state. Northlake tripled in population between 2010 and 2020, and surrounding master-planned communities have continued expanding since. But US 377 through this corridor has remained largely the same two-lane road it was when the area was ranchland.
Beyond simply adding lanes, the project includes sidewalks, turn lanes, new traffic signals, and a grade separation, an overpass or underpass at a major intersection where traffic volumes have created serious congestion or safety conflicts. That kind of infrastructure is expensive and signals that TxDOT views this as a comprehensive modernization, not a stopgap fix.
The funding comes through the National Highway Performance Program, the federal government's largest highway funding stream, authorized and expanded under the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Under the program's typical 80/20 split, the federal government would contribute roughly $31.8 million, with Texas covering the remaining $7.9 million through TxDOT.
Texas receives more NHPP funding than any other state, a reflection of its highway network size and its relentless population growth. The Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex has surpassed 8 million residents and is projected to reach 10 million by 2040, with southern Denton County representing one of the sharpest edges of that expansion.
The widening has drawn mixed reactions locally. Residents and officials in Argyle have long pushed for congestion relief, but some have raised concerns about whether a wider, faster road will accelerate the development that has already transformed the town's character. Those debates will likely continue as design and construction move forward.
This award was posted in April 2026, placing it among the final obligations under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law's five-year authorization window. Whether Congress passes a successor transportation bill that sustains this level of investment remains an open question as TxDOT works through a project backlog that spans more than $100 billion in planned work over the next decade.
