A thoroughfare plan is a long-range planning document used by local governments to set a vision for the development and improvement of a city’s or region’s transportation network. It identifies the location and type of roadway for all major city, county and state thoroughfares – both existing and proposed – that are part of the future road network and helps local governments prioritize infrastructure investments and manage traffic patterns effectively over time. A thoroughfare plan also provides guidance for future planning and ensures that roads, highways, and streets are appropriately planned to accommodate growth, improve safety, and support economic development.

The Collin County Thoroughfare Plan may include these types of roadways:

Freeways: high-speed, controlled-access roads for long trips.

Principal Arterials: high-capacity roads that provide key linkages between cities and major activity centers, carry intra-regional traffic, and connect traffic from minor arterials to freeways or expressways.

Major Arterials: four- to six-lane roads typically located on a 1-mile grid spacing that provide intra-community continuity and carry local traffic to principal arterials.

Collin County typically updates the county’s Thoroughfare Plan every 5-10 years in coordination with municipalities, adjacent counties, and TxDOT to ensure a well-organized transportation system. The Collin County Thoroughfare Plan was previously updated in 2014 and 2020.

The County’s Thoroughfare Plan does not address the construction schedule for roadway projects. Rather it identifies existing thoroughfares and the general alignments for the extensions of existing arterial roadways and planned new roadways. Many of the identified arterials will likely not be needed or constructed within the next 10-20 years. Final route alignment and design for each of the identified roadways will be determined during the final engineering and construction process for those individual projects.

Public Information Sessions have concluded, with meetings held on March 19 in Anna and April 3 in Lavon. Comments from the public were accepted through April 18 and are being reviewed by the county. Any needed revisions to the proposed Thoroughfare Plan update will be made and then a Public Hearing will be held at an upcoming Collin County Commissioners Court meeting, followed by a vote to formally adopt the updated Thoroughfare Plan. Click here to subscribe to receive updates.

The Collin County Outer Loop is a 55-mile planned transportation facility that will ultimately go from the Denton County line, through cities including Celina, Weston, Anna, Melissa, Farmersville, Josephine and Royse City, to the Rockwall County line. The County is developing the Outer Loop in five segments, each at various stages of planning and development. The county has completed or is currently constructing one two-lane service road of the Outer Loop for the segments between the Denton County line and SH 121.

The County is currently studying the alignment for the Outer Loop between Farmersville/US 380 and the Rockwall County Line. That study began in in Fall 2024 and is identifying needed revisions to the “Previous Technically Preferred Alignment (PTPA)”, which was previously determined by the county in 2009/2010. The PTPA is currently shown in both the current and proposed update to the Collin County Thoroughfare Plan. Once a newly preferred alignment for the Outer Loop is determined, the Collin County Thoroughfare Plan will be updated to reflect the new alignment at a later date.