Flower Mound town officials are asking for public opinion on Morriss/Gerault Road design plans such as landscaping, sidewalks and intersection details at 6 p.m. today at the Flower Mound Library, 3030 Broadmoor Lane.

And the Stop Morriss 6 group is prepared to make some suggestions such as 8-foot fencing along Morriss/Gerault Road, landscaping to help with noise abatement and different exit strategies for pedestrians to avoid traffic on the soon-to-be six-lane road, said resident Kim Berg, of the group.

On Monday, Berg and stay-at-home mom Renee Doyle spent the afternoon pointing out some of the neighbors’ concerns on Morriss/Gerault Road.

Berg said one of the major concerns is the intersection at FM 1171 and Morriss Road where the traffic bottlenecks. He said he hopes town officials have developed plans to improve the high-volume intersection.

Other concerns ranged from blind spots in intersections such as Barton Creek Lane and Morriss Road to the lack of sidewalks and/or buffers between sidewalks and the road. But Berg and Doyle’s biggest concern seemed to be the town’s crosswalk solution for students at Forestwood Middle School: the tunnel across from the school.

Some of the neighbors plan to present their concerns at the meeting today, Berg said.

Michael Ryan, director of community affairs, said the town wants its residents to remain involved in the project.

“Looking back at the priorities that were important to residents, we want to give them the opportunity to be a part of the project as it is evolving,” he said.

The Flower Mound Town Council approved an interlocal agreement with Denton County on Aug. 3 in which the county will contribute $5.5 million to the Morriss-Gerrault road project, said Mark Wood, community affairs specialist.

The contentious two-phase project includes the expansion of the now four-lane road to six lanes, utilizing the center median, to allow for a projected traffic increase from the River Walk at Central Park, a future commercial and residential development.

An additional $10.7 million will come from the Texas Department of Transportation regional toll revenue and the River Walk at Central Park development will pay a portion of the cost as well, Wood said.

The city of Lewisville is working on a Strategic Partnership Agreement with Castle Hills for limited annexation of 119.82 acres of non-contiguous, commercial-owned property and public rights-of-way, which the public can provide input on July 20.

The partial annexation is for sales tax purposes, meaning Lewisville will be able to impose a 4B tax of .25 percent for parks and library services and a sales tax of 1 percent to pay for the fire, EMS and police services Lewisville provides, said Donna Barron, assistant city manager of Lewisville.

Eric Stanley, managing director of Bright Realty in Castle Hills, said the future annexed acres are not becoming Lewisville property; the annexation is only to offset the cost of the services Lewisville offers.

“It saves the Castle Hills taxpayers money because the sales tax will pay [for Lewisville’s services] instead of the water district taxes [the residents] pay,” he said. “We view it as a good thing and support it.”

After taxes, if Castle Hills still owns the city money for services, Castle Hills will be billed. And if the city has leftover funds after taxes, the money will be split 50/50 between the city and Denton County Fresh Water Supply Districts in Castle Hills, Barron said.

Castle Hills is located in Lewisville’s Extraterritorial Jurisdiction. It was part of the development agreement that the city would supply fire, EMS and police services for a fee, which it has been doing since 1996, Barron said.

The commercial development, which will be annexed, is located adjacent to the intersection of State Highway 121, Josey Lane and Windhaven Parkway, said Steve Bacchus, assistant city manager of Lewisville.

After the second public hearing July 20, the Lewisville City Council will consider approval of the agreement.

The forum will start at 6 p.m. at the Lewisville City Hall, 151 W. Church St.

The Lewisville Lake Toll Bridge is slated for completion in August.

The 1.7-mile bridge crosses Lewisville Lake from east to west, connecting the Dallas North Tollway and Interstate 35 East. It will connect at Swisher Road on the west bank and Eldorado Parkway on the east bank.

Sherita Coffelt, public information officer for the North Texas Tollway Authority, said during peak traffic hours a trip on the Toll Bridge is expected to cut travel time in half.

The Toll Bridge was originally scheduled to open in April 2009 but was delayed 100 days because of rain back in 2007, Coffelt said.

Check out Casey Cavalier's column about the Toll Bridge on DallasNews.com.

The Flower Mound Transportation Commission is recommending the widening of Morriss/Gerault Road to the Town Council as well as a list of recommendations for the project.

The commission made the decision despite residents’ objections at the public hearing May 26.

“The bottom line is, I believe the commission was convinced it was needed,” said Paul Stone, transportation commission chair. “We want to get in front of the issues we’ve faced with other roads. This is an opportunity for us to be more proactive than reactive.”

According to the town’s Web site, some of the recommendations include:

• Replacing existing perimeter screening fences with the town-standard wooden fence and/or exploring other fencing options and other methods to mitigate sound impacts.

• Identifying visibility issues that may create safety problems and identifying solutions that consider both impacts and benefits, including access issues.

• Installing trees, sod, irrigation and decorative plantings in the medians and rights-of-way, with the focus being on the full-width median sections.

• Enhancing the pedestrian routes throughout the corridor, specifically for school-related pedestrian activity to include pedestrian actuated flashers, reviewing the location of school cross walks and reviewing with Lewisville Independent School District the pedestrian and vehicular access at schools.

The council is set to hold a public hearing on the project and consider awarding a design contract during the next council meeting at 6 p.m. June 15 at Town Hall, 2121 Cross Timbers Road.

Flower Mound residents will have their chance to speak on the Morriss Road/Gerault Road expansion project at the transportation commission’s public forum May 26.

The forum will follow normal public hearing protocol. After the project presentations, the public can ask questions, get them answered and offer their opinions to the commission, said Paul Stone, chair of the transportation commission.

Stone said the commission wants to have a questionnaire for people to give their preferences so the commission can tally up the votes. However, he said, the questionnaires wouldn’t limit the public’s ability to speak.

After hearing the public, the commission will make a recommendation to the town council, said Mark Wood, the town’s community affairs specialist.

But the opportunity for public input will not stop after the hearing, Stone said.

“Even when we go through the different design options for the project, we want public input,” he said. “And they will always have the opportunity to make their opinions known directly to the town council.

“In the spirit of transparency, we want everyone to understand how the government works and ... know they were involved in it.”

Stone said the commission would like to see not just the immediate neighbors of Morriss Road/Gerault Road, but everyone who wants to express their feelings. Representatives from Lewisville ISD and the River Walk at Central Park will also be there, he said.

What: Flower Mound Transportation Commission public forum
When: 6:30 p.m. May 26
Where: Town Hall, 2121 Cross Timbers.

• Residents march to protest Morriss-Gerault expansion
• Residents voice concern during transporation committee meeting
• Morriss/Gerault Road expansion project is a hot topic in Flower Mound

Bob Butler, Place 3:
“I'm against the widening of Morris for several reasons: I drive on Morris Road every day and don't see any traffic problems, Morriss Road is 90 percent residential and a wider lane would encourage more traffic and faster speeds, which would put our children who walk to the two schools on Morriss Road in more danger and, finally, I believe it will decrease the value of the homes that are close to the road as well as ruin the beauty of the current median and community feel that we all love.”

Rick Cleland, Place 5:
“I am in favor of the Stop Morriss 6 project. I am not in favor of Morriss 6 itself. If I get on council, the Morriss 6 project is dead on arrival.”

Angie Cox, Place 5:
“I do not think Morris Road needs to be expanded at this time. We need to complete our other road projects first, FM1171, FM2499 and FM407. I would like to see another traffic study done after the hospital is built to see if the expansion is necessary.”

Steve Dixon, Place 1:
“I do not see the need to increase all of Morriss or Gerault roads to six lanes today. The major intersections do need additional dedicated turn lanes and longer queuing lanes to help traffic flow through the intersections. These changes should help improve the level of service and give use time to fully review the needs and get citizen input on how to achieve the best possible solution for the future.”

Claudio Forest, Place 3:
“I do not believe that Morriss/Gerault roads need to be fully expanded to six lanes today but feel that further study needs to be done before a final decision can be made on the future of this roadway. We do not have all the facts as they relate to traffic impact on Morriss Road right now, not until improvements are complete on FM2499, FM1171, FM407 and other road projects currently underway in our town. Once all those projects are completed and the River Walk project is further underway in a year or two, we can then see what the real need is and make an educated decision on how to proceed with Morriss Road. It may, at that time mean spot improvements at key intersections, the planned improvements at the FM2499 intersection, etc. ... but nothing should proceed without taking in account of the local residents and their concerns for safety, noise impact and maintaining the beauty of the roadway. We have 10 years to hold the available funds, so rushing into it would be foolish and definitely not a good stewardship of town funds.”

Tom Hayden, Place 5:
“I'm opposed to the widening of Morriss Road at this time. It is not supported by the residents in the community and it is based upon future traffic projections that may or may not come to fruition. Preservation of the community's character is paramount.”

Steve Lyda, Place 1:
“The River Walk project seems to be the primary catalyst for Morriss Road to be expanded. If this project brings in as many residents as is projected, then something is going to have to be done in the area of the project to alleviate congestion.    Unfortunately, the developer of the River Walk project has not had a very good track record of successful development in Town. I want to make sure this development is going to go forward as planned before I commit to expanding Morriss Road. In either case, I think we should continue to seek resident input on this project and address the concerns of the residents.”

Mike Wallace, Place 3:
“I support the expansion of Morriss/Gerault Road to six lanes because increasing traffic demand from the River Walk at Central Park development and nearby regional transportation projects requires that we add capacity to provide an adequate level of service to our residents. Funding is available to complete the expansion without using any direct Flower Mound taxpayer dollars, and I am confident we can approve a design that addresses the safety concerns of our residents.”