The public is starting to feel the impact of business closures due to TxDOT’s major U.S. Highway 380 Expansion Project. Several homes and businesses in Collin County are located on land designated for the new freeway, which aims to alleviate traffic congestion.
Customers were surprised to see an announcement on the door of Jason’s Deli, located on Highway 380/University Drive in McKinney, announcing its closure. The deli had only opened in the spring of 2023. This closure is the first of many expected in the newly developed area, with other businesses in the adjacent shopping center, which also opened within the last year, preparing to close. However, employees and managers told NBC 5 that a specific timeline has not yet been set.
“It just seems weird. Scooters [drive-thru coffee] just opened up,” said Mike Brad, a local resident who often visited Jason’s Deli.
TxDOT’s long-awaited and controversial U.S. 380 freeway will be constructed directly where these buildings currently stand. Over the years, the state agency has held public meetings and conducted environmental studies, presenting several potential routes for the freeway. The “Blue Alternative,” which includes segments A, E, and C, will create a freeway from 380 near Coit Road in Prosper, around northern McKinney, and reconnecting to 380 in far East McKinney, just south of New Hope.
Last fall, TxDOT documents indicated that the Blue Alternative would displace 38 businesses and 26 residences. This alternative was chosen over the Brown and Gold Alternatives, which would have impacted many planned and under-construction residences along Segment B.
When asked for an updated count of affected properties, a TxDOT spokesperson stated that 35 businesses and 22 homes would be impacted. The project is still in the design phase, which involves finalizing design details, coordinating utilities, and acquiring the necessary right-of-way. TxDOT is approaching property owners to purchase their land at fair market value. If negotiations fail, the agency could use eminent domain to condemn the properties.
The closure of Jason’s Deli was confirmed by Kim Collura, Vice President of Marketing, who said they are trying to relocate affected employees to other nearby locations.
Customer Mike Brad expressed concern as a business owner himself, questioning if businesses like Jason’s Deli would be reimbursed for their investments. “If not, that’s terrible. But, as a person who lives around here, traffic on this road is atrocious, so I don’t know what the answer is,” he said.
Employees and managers of several small businesses in the shopping center said they would remain open for the time being. The manager of Royal Kings Liquor, who did not want to be interviewed on camera, shared that they were surprised and upset to learn they would have to close less than a year after opening. They had invested more than $100,000 in the store, which is fully stocked and even features a walk-in cooler. The manager expressed concern that their established clientele might not follow them to a new location.
John Robinson, a regular customer at the liquor store, said, “They’re cheap prices, they’re close. I wouldn’t want them to go, especially just because of a highway.”
TxDOT’s spokeswoman confirmed that relocation benefits are offered to qualified property owners as part of their standard right-of-way acquisition process. However, it remains uncertain whether any of the locally owned shops in this shopping center will receive financial assistance.
