Commissioners back thoroughfare‑plan update, approve multiple FM engineering contracts

Rockwall County received an update on its Master Thoroughfare Plan and approved several professional services agreements for key Farm‑to‑Market projects on April 28.

Consultants from Friese & Nichols reported the study is roughly one‑third complete, with public engagement showing about 570 participants and more than 800 responses. The consultant team said its adjusted demographic approach projects faster near‑term population growth in the county than the Council of Governments (COG) baseline, citing entitled projects and vacant acreage analysis. Commissioner questions focused on how consultants derived an adjusted 2036 projection and whether local TAZs should be reviewed to refine the model.

The court then approved professional services agreements: WSB for the FM‑549 project ($3,284,621), Lamstar Engineering for the FM‑1777/FM‑35 extension ($3,473,293), and BridgeFarmer & Associates for the Horizon Road project ($1,491,532). Commissioners discussed construction complexity (floodplain, railroad, utility relocation) and traffic priorities; motions carried 5–0.

Consultants also acknowledged survey design concerns. Commissioners asked staff to add an explicit "none of the above" or a skip option for a question on modes to reduce driving, citing constituent feedback that the existing options could bias results.

"We can sit down and take a look at a TAZ in your precinct," the consultant said, offering local refinement of model assumptions.

Next steps: finalize consultant modeling, close the survey on the revised schedule, and begin design work per the approved agreements.