US-380 Bypass Utility Relocations: What McKinney Area Developers Must Coordinate with TxDOT Before Construction Starts

What is the US-380 bypass?

A new location freeway around northern McKinney. TxDOT issued a combined Final Environmental Impact Statement and Record of Decision for the US 380 project from Coit Road to FM 1827 (opens in a new tab) in Collin County, CSJs 0135-02-065 and 0135-15-002. The document was approved in September 2023 and noticed on October 5, 2023.

The Blue Alternative is the selected alternative. It creates a freeway mostly on new location, from existing US 380 near Coit Road, around the northern part of McKinney, back to existing US 380 near FM 1827 and New Hope Road. The project passes through McKinney, Prosper and unincorporated Collin County.

The Record of Decision ended the environmental review. It did not set a construction date. Ask the TxDOT Dallas District for the current design, right-of-way and utility status of the segment near your site, by CSJ.

Why does a new freeway reach your utility plan?

Because it crosses ground the utilities were planned around. A freeway on new location cuts across existing water lines, sewer basins, creeks and franchise utilities. Each one has to be relocated, adjusted or crossed.

For a site near the corridor, three questions decide the schedule:

• Does the right-of-way take any part of your parcel, frontage or planned easements?
• Does a main your project depends on sit in the way and need to move first?
• Does your sewer outfall or storm outfall have to cross the new freeway?

A delayed relocation can hold up your water or sewer service even when your own plans are approved. Find the dependency during due diligence, not at the preconstruction meeting.

Who pays to relocate a utility in the way?

It depends on the highway and on the utility's property interest. Under Texas Transportation Code Section 203.092 (opens in a new tab), a utility relocates at state expense when the improvement is on an interstate and the relocation is eligible for federal participation, when the utility has a compensable property interest in the land, or on a segment designated as a turnpike or toll project before September 1, 2005.

US 380 is not an interstate. So on this project the usual question is whether the utility holds a compensable interest, such as its own recorded easement on private land, or sits in public right-of-way by permit.

Subsection (a-4) adds a hardship path. The state can pay where the Texas Transportation Commission finds the utility is a political subdivision or a qualifying water or sewer corporation that cannot afford the move and meets the other tests in that subsection.

For a developer, the practical point: if you build a main that a city will own near a future highway, record its easement properly. Get the answer for each line from the owner and TxDOT in writing, because cost decides who drives the schedule.

What does McKinney require for lines near TxDOT right-of-way?

Crossings only, cased, with the city in the loop first. Section 5.1.C of McKinney's Engineering Design Manual (opens in a new tab) (Revision 7, adopted May 5, 2026) says:

• Before designing in TxDOT right-of-way, the engineer contacts the agency for special design, construction and permit requirements and copies the Director of Engineering.
• Mains in or crossing TxDOT right-of-way meet the requirements of the TxDOT Collin County Area Office and TxDOT's utility manual.
• No new water or wastewater mains are allowed in TxDOT right-of-way except perpendicular crossings.

Section 5.1.E adds casing under existing and proposed arterials, highways and railroads, with steel casing at least ½ inch thick and no bends, and mains under existing roadways installed by a method other than open cut.

Section 1.9 sets the order. Permit documents for TxDOT work go to the city for initial review first, and authorization to submit to TxDOT depends on the city's approval. The city may lead the coordination itself.

So a water main that would naturally follow the new freeway has to be planned in a city easement outside the right-of-way, with cased crossings where it must cross. That changes easement width and lot layout along the frontage.

How does the TxDOT permit itself work?

The utility owner applies, not the developer. TxDOT's utility accommodation rules in 43 TAC Chapter 21, Subchapter C, govern installations and relocations in state right-of-way, and permits now run through TxDOT's RULIS system. We walk through the steps in our post on TxDOT utility installation review.

For a McKinney project, the owner is usually the city that will take over the line. Agree early on who prepares the package and who submits, since the city reviews it before TxDOT sees it.

What about driveways and drainage near the corridor?

Both need TxDOT's approval, and both can move your site plan. Under 43 TAC §11.52 (opens in a new tab), a permit is required before building a new access connection to a state highway, or when a change in property use, traffic or vehicle types would trigger stricter standards. Chapter 2 of TxDOT's Access Management Manual sets the standards.

A freeway takes access only where TxDOT designs it. Check your planned driveways and turn lanes against the final configuration and any interim construction phase.

Drainage follows the same logic. If your storm outfall ties into highway ditches or culverts, ask the district early how it will be reviewed. A site drainage plan built around a connection the highway later changes will need redesign.

Is your site ready for the corridor?

Answer yes or no. Any no is a risk to your schedule.

1. Have you overlaid the selected alignment and right-of-way on your parcel?
2. Do you know the owner of every water, sewer, storm and franchise line in the conflict zone?
3. Do you know whether each owner holds a compensable interest, and who pays to move it?
4. Is any of your service dependent on a relocation, and do you have its status in writing?
5. Are new mains planned outside the right-of-way, with perpendicular, cased crossings only?
6. Has the city seen the TxDOT permit package before submittal?
7. Are driveways and outfalls checked against the final freeway design?

A note on limits: this is general education from TxDOT's published project notice, Texas statutes and rules, and McKinney's Engineering Design Manual as of October 2026. Alignment details and schedules change with design, so confirm every answer with TxDOT, the utility owner and the City of McKinney.

Frequently asked questions

Is the US-380 bypass the same as widening existing US 380?

No. The Coit Road to FM 1827 project is a freeway mostly on new location around northern McKinney. TxDOT has separate projects on other parts of US 380, so check which project touches your parcel.

Can we run our new water main lengthwise along the bypass?

Not if McKinney will own it. The manual allows only perpendicular crossings there, so a parallel main goes in a city easement outside the right-of-way.

I'm a developer under contract on land north of McKinney near the selected alignment. What should I ask TxDOT before the option period ends?

Ask where the right-of-way line falls on the tract, whether acquisition has started on that segment, which utility relocations are planned nearby and their status, and where access will be allowed. Then ask the city which mains will serve the site.

I'm the civil engineer on a McKinney site whose sewer has to cross the future freeway. When should we design the crossing?

Now, against TxDOT's proposed profile. A crossing designed later can conflict with the freeway grading. Coordinate the depth and casing with the district and the city before the site plan is fixed.

Related resources

• The US-380 Corridor Boom: Utility Capacity Planning for Prosper, Celina, Anna, and Melissa Ahead of the Rooftops
• McKinney Utility Availability Study: What Developers Need Before Submitting a Plat in Collin County's Fastest Growing City
• McKinney's 2026 Engineering Design Manual: Utility Changes Developers Need to Catch Before Plan Submittal
• CCN Territory Disputes in Collin County: What to Check Before Land Crosses a Water Provider Boundary

Developing near the US-380 bypass?

We map the utility conflicts, crossings and easements your site needs around the new freeway, and prepare the plans and permit package for the utility owner.

We specialize in:

• Site feasibility and utility due diligence
• Water and sewer utility design
• TxDOT utility permit packages
• Water line relocation design
• Site civil design for land development
• Construction administration

Modern Engineering Solutions, McKinney, Texas. Contact: (214) 833-6748 or mod-eng.com