Road construction for McMillen Road in Wylie is anticipated to begin in early November. Once complete, the road should be free of flooding and other issues that have plagued the road for years. File art

An estimated $21 million bid was approved by city council Tuesday, Sept. 26 for a long-awaited road project.

McMahon Contracting will be working on McMillen Road — from McCreary to Country Club — a project that has been under consideration for several years. 

The north Wylie two-lane road serves as an east-west cut-through for motorists who want to avoid traffic on Parker Road, but McMillen is closed a few times a year when it floods during heavy rain. The road also has a sharp S-turn in a portion of the road that floods. McMillen has permanent swing gates to stop traffic, which has been steadily increasing as the area becomes more populated with housing.

The new design will expand the road to four lanes, move the roadbed out of a floodplain, turn the S-turn into a gentler curve and include pedestrian mobility improvements. It will also install a bridge across Muddy Creek.

Purchasing Manager Glenna Hayes said the city received seven offers ranging from $19 million to $26 million. Ownership of the road is shared by the city and Collin County. Funding for the project comes from Collin County Fund 415 ($5.3 million) and 2021 Bond Fund 471 ($15.8 million). 

“It’s here, it’s happening,” City Engineer Tim Porter said. “The bid did come in about $4 or $5 million under what we anticipated.”

By Jeremy Hallock | [email protected]

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