US 75 construction in south Plano could have implications for businesses that rely on the roadways to provide access to their storefronts. The construction includes demolishing and rebuilding the Plano Parkway bridge, as well as the expansion of ramps stemming to and from President George Bush Turnpike. A Texas Department of Transportation spokesperson said the projects should end in early 2019.

Construction near the intersection of US 75 and President George Bush Turnpike will undergo two more major stages before roadway conditions begin to improve and congestion near downtown Plano is relieved, a Texas Department of Transportation spokesperson said.Plano Transportation Engineering Manager Lloyd Neal said the city will inform local stores and restaurants when construction that might affect access to their businesses will begin.“The businesses along 15th Street will receive notices in advance if a certain project will cause a detour or some unusual activity for their 15th Street commute,” Neal said.Although access to certain southeast Plano businesses may be hindered by the construction, TxDOT spokesperson Ryan LaFontaine said crews will ensure necessary entrances to those businesses remain open.“There’s tons of great businesses all along those frontage roads,” LaFontaine said. “We want to make sure they also have access and entrance coming from the frontage road, and we go out of our way to make sure that there is always access to those businesses.”Motorists traveling to and from downtown Plano will be limited to two main roadways, one of which will be under construction, Neal said.“They are going to be shutting down half of the [Plano Parkway] bridge and reconstructing it. … There is very limited east-west locations going across [US] 75, so we are kind of limited to 15th Street and Plano Parkway itself,” Neal said.The construction, which is projected to last into early 2019, includes the expansion of the exit and entrance ramps to and from US 75 and PGBT as well as the reconstruction of the Plano Parkway bridge over US 75.The Plano Parkway bridge is next in line to begin construction with an anticipated project start date slated near the end of October or early November.Crews will begin demolishing and rebuilding half of the Plano Parkway bridge, causing both directions of traffic to be diverted to two lanes on the operational half of the bridge, LaFontaine said. Crews will close the southbound high-occupancy vehicle lanes on US 75 to make room for safe working conditions.Once construction is complete on the first half of the bridge, crews will divert traffic to the renovated side and begin demolishing and rebuilding the other side. The bridge construction will allow room for lanes to be added to the entrance and exit ramps from PGBT, LaFontaine said.The PGBT to northbound US 75 ramp construction also includes an additional lane for motorists traveling on the access road to bypass traffic along the Plano Parkway intersection.Crews have already completed construction of exit and entrance ramps onto US 75 located just south of 15th Street.