History

In 1998, TxDOT initiated a Major Investment Study (MIS) to gather community input and forward recommendations throughout the process. To gather input from the public, three work groups were created. Each workgroup involved one or more target audiences to ensure that all interested parties had an opportunity to be involved. The three Project Work Groups created were the Executive Work Group, the Community Work Group and the Staff Work Group. Thirteen coordination meetings were held throughout the MIS development process and occurred in the summer and fall of 1998 and 1999.

The MIS evaluated an area that extended along 23 miles of IH 35E from the SH 121 Bypass to U.S. 380 in Denton. A variety of elements were considered to address the needs of the IH 35E corridor. Elements such as rail and bus services, managed HOV lanes, express lanes, widening of the existing facility, travel demand management, travel system management strategies, and intelligent transportation systems were evaluated. The results of the study indicated that many of the above elements would help to alleviate congestion within the corridor; however, reconstruction of the existing facility was the most effective solution to reducing congestion.

The first series of MIS Public Meetings were conducted in June 1998 and the second series of MIS Public Meetings were conducted in September 1999.

In March 2003, three public meetings were conducted to gather feedback on the EA/schematic development process. Public notices were sent to local, city, and state officials and letters were sent to non-elected public officials.

From the spring of 2003 to the fall of 2008, the EA and schematic design were refined and revised to incorporate stakeholder input and various design elements.

In the fall of 2008, three public meetings were conducted to provide updates and solicit input on the EA and schematic design. Public notices were sent to adjacent property owners and local, city, and state officials; letters were sent to non-elected public officials.

In August 2008, stakeholder work group meetings were initiated to facilitate communication among TxDOT and adjacent municipalities as well as other public agencies with interests along the IH 35E corridor. In addition to the public meeting and stakeholder meetings, various meetings and/or presentations have been given to public officials associated with several municipalities along the project corridor. These meetings provided an overview of the proposed project, initial/draft/modified IH 35E design concepts, reasons for design modifications, anticipated timeline for the construction of the proposed project, status on operations and funding, and allowed the public officials an opportunity to ask questions or communicate other potential stakeholder interests. A listing of various stakeholder, public, and project meetings is provided in the table below.

Various Stakeholder, Public, and Project Meetings

Meeting Date and Location	Meeting Attendees	Topics Discussed
August 6, 2008 Lewisville City Hall 151 W. Church St. Lewisville, TX	Stakeholder Work Group #1	Project overview; reasoning for design modifications; draft/initial modified design concepts; overview of possible delivery options; stakeholder outreach; schedule; work with NTTA to determine responsible agency; other issues/next steps.
August 27, 2008 Lewisville City Hall 151 W. Church St. Lewisville, TX	City of Lewisville, City of Highland Village, DCTA	Project overview; stakeholder outreach; schedule; initial/modified concepts; next steps/other issues.
August 28, 2008 Denton County Airport 5000 Airport Road Denton, TX	Cities of Denton and Corinth, University of North Texas, and Denton County	Project overview; stakeholder outreach; schedule; draft/initial/modified concepts; other issues/next steps
September 3, 2008 Lake Dallas City Hall 212 Main St. Lake Dallas, TX	Town of Hickory Creek and Cities of Lake Dallas and Corinth	Project overview; stakeholder outreach; schedule; draft/initial/modified concepts; next steps/other issues.
October 1, 2008 Lewisville City Hall 151 W. Church St. Lewisville, TX	Stakeholder Work Group #2	Project overview; refined modified design concepts; stakeholder outreach; schedule; other issues/next steps.
October 15, 2008 URS Corporation 3010 LBJ Freeway, Suite 1300 Dallas, TX	DCTA	Status on operations and funding; reasons for design modifications; presentation of project limits, typical sections, and mainlane access locations; stakeholder outreach; open house/public meeting schedule.
October 17, 2008 Carrollton City Hall 1945 E. Jackson Rd. Carrollton, TX	City of Carrollton	Status on operations and funding; reasons for modifications; presentation of project limits, typical sections, and mainlane access locations; stakeholder outreach; open house/public meeting schedule.
October 17, 2008 Lewisville City Hall 151 W. Church St. Lewisville, TX	City of Lewisville	Status on operations and funding; reasons for modifications; presentation of project limits, typical sections, and mainlane access locations; stakeholder outreach; open house/public meeting schedule.
October 21, 2008 Denton City Hall 215 E. McKinney Street Denton, TX	Denton City Council Mobility Committee	Status on operations and funding; reasons for design modifications; presentation of project limits; typical sections, mainlanes access locations; stakeholder outreach; open house/public meeting schedule
October 21, 2008 Hickory Creek Town Hall 1075 Ronald Reagan Ave. Hickory Creek, TX	Town of Hickory Creek - City Council	Status on operations and funding; reasons for modifications; presentation of project limits, typical sections, and mainlane access locations; stakeholder outreach; open house/public meeting schedule.
October 23, 2008 DCTA 1660 S. Stemmons, Suite 215 Lewisville, TX	DCTA Board	Status on operations and funding; reasons for modifications; presentation of project limits, typical sections, and mainlane access locations; stakeholder outreach; open house/public meeting schedule.
November 3, 2008 Corinth City Hall 3300 Corinth Pkwy. Corinth, TX	City of Corinth – City Council	Status on operations and funding; reasons for modifications; presentation of project limits, typical sections, and mainlane access locations; stakeholder outreach; open house/public meeting schedule.
November 10, 2008 UNT Gateway Center 801 North Texas Blvd. Denton, TX	Public Meeting – Open to the public	Open house format
November 5, 2008 Lewisville City Hall 151 W. Church St. Lewisville, TX	Stakeholder Work Group #3	Schematic design; environmental documentation; stakeholder outreach; schedule; other issues/next steps.
November 11, 2008 Carrollton City Hall 1945 E. Jackson Rd. Carrollton, TX	City of Carrollton – City Council	Status on operations and funding; reasons for modifications; presentation of project limits, typical sections, and mainlane access locations; stakeholder outreach; open house/public meeting schedule.
November 13, 2008 1197 W. Main St. Lewisville, TX	Public Meeting – open to the public	Open house format.
November 17, 2008 Dr. Pepper Stars Center 12700 North Stemmons Frwy. Farmers Branch, TX	Public Meeting – Open to the public	Open house format
December 3, 2008 Lewisville City Hall 151 W. Church St. Lewisville, TX	Stakeholder Work Group #4	Schematic design; environmental documentation; stakeholder outreach; EA/schematic schedule; ROW; other issues/next steps.
February 4, 2009 Lewisville City Hall 151 W. Church St. Lewisville, TX	Stakeholder Work Group #5	Schematic design; environmental documentation; stakeholder outreach; EA/schematic schedule; phasing of construction; other issues/next steps.
May 6, 2009 Lewisville City Hall 151 W. Church St. Lewisville, TX	Stakeholder Work Group #6	Schematic design; environmental documentation; stakeholder outreach; EA/schematic schedule; phasing of construction; other issues/next steps.
May 14, 2009 UNT Board Room Hurley Adm. Bldg. UNT Denton Campus Denton, TX	University of North Texas officials	Schematic design; environmental documentation; stakeholder outreach; EA/schematic schedule; phasing of construction; other issues/next steps
June 16, 2009 Carrollton City Hall 1945 E. Jackson Rd. Carrollton, TX	Stakeholder Work Group #7	Schematic design; overview of project financing and delivery options; outcome of state legislative session; construction financing and phasing plan.
June 16, 2009 Lewisville City Hall 151 W. Church St. Lewisville, TX	Stakeholder Work Group #8	Schematic design; overview of project financing and delivery options; outcome of state legislative session; construction financing and phasing plan.
June 17, 2009 Lake Dallas City Hall 212 Main Street Lake Dallas, 75065	Stakeholder Work Group #9	Schematic design; overview of project financing and delivery options; outcome of state legislative session; construction financing and phasing plan.
June 17, 2009 Denton Civic Center 321 E. McKinney Denton, Texas 76201	Stakeholder Work Group #10	Schematic design; overview of project financing and delivery options; outcome of state legislative session; construction financing and phasing plan.
August 8, 2009 Lewisville City Hall 151 W. Church St. Lewisville, TX	Stakeholder Work Group #11	Schematic design; overview of project financing and delivery options; outcome of state legislative session; construction financing and phasing plan.
August 19, 2009 Lewisville City Hall 151 W. Church St. Lewisville, TX	Stakeholder Work Group #11 (elected officials briefing)	Schematic design; overview of project financing and delivery options; outcome of state legislative session; construction financing and phasing plan

Meetings also occurred with the USACE to discuss permitting related activities. On October 16, 2008, TxDOT met with the USACE and FHWA to discuss the proposed project’s impacts to USACE property and proposed mitigation. On October 31, 2008, the City of Highland Village, TxDOT, and the USACE met to specifically discuss access and circulation related to Copperas Branch Park.