Drone shot of the McMillen Road expansion site. Courtesy City of Wylie

The long-anticipated McMillen Road expansion — a $21 million infrastructure project meant to connect the cities of Wylie and Murphy with a safer, wider route — has been in limbo following a federal shutdown in March 2024.

The halt, ordered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers due to a lack of proper permitting, has left residents frustrated, businesses burdened and city officials working to untangle the fallout from what has become one of the most controversial projects in recent memory.

Approved by Wylie City Council in late September 2023, the project was awarded to McMahon Contracting, the low bidder among seven proposals ranging from $19 million to $26 million. The original design, as first reported by The Wylie News on Oct. 4, 2023, aimed to transform the two-lane stretch between McCreary Road and Country Club Road into a four-lane thoroughfare.

For more on this story see the April 24, 2025 print, or digital edition of The Wylie News. Subscribe today and support local journalism in your community.