Downtown Frisco is currently under construction and redevelopment, leading to certain lane closures and changes to ordinary Main Street routes. The construction in place is to enhance downtown Frisco and make it more pedestrian-friendly, including the construction of wider sidewalks, removal of on-street parking, and a Plaza on 4th Street. In addition, businesses, restaurants, and stores remain open throughout construction, however, public parking locations have been altered. This construction has affected the routines of Frisco residents, including those at LTHS.
Main Street is a heavily used road, but now, some people purposefully avoid it in order to make their driving experiences easier.
“Ever since I started learning how to drive, my mom told me to always avoid Main Street,” Senior Abigail Huang said. “I soon found out that no matter the time of day, traffic on Main Street was always backed up. Since then, I’ve made it a habit to plan my routes carefully to steer clear of Main Street, even if it meant taking a longer route.”
The construction has impacted some traditions and activities that usually take place on Main Street, disrupting students’ plans.
“The construction on Main Street has taken away the Frisco Community Parade, which is really devastating to the cheer team,” Junior Chloe Glanville, Cheer Captain, said. “It is one of our favorite activities of the year and missing it really makes the team sad.”
Despite being unaffected by the construction route, Huang explained how some students’ routes to school activities might be impacted.
“Although it hasn’t affected me, the construction could have effects on other LTHS students by increasing their commute time to school or to other school events, like football games at the Toyota Stadium.”
The construction on Main Street has caused students, such as Senior Ashley Schmidt, to adapt and maximize their time in other ways, including utilizing different routes to get to school.
“One of the ways I used to get to school last year was going down Main Street as the traffic typically wasn’t as bad,” Schmidt said. “It would shave off about five minutes. However, the construction shut down that area and caused me to be unable to use that shortcut.”
Schmidt provided examples of the convenience and inconvenience of making Main Street more walkable.
“Removing on-street parking to make it more pedestrian-friendly is going to make it more difficult to find parking spots but a nicer/safer walking space is something that appeals to a lot of people, including me,” Schmidt said.
Although a temporary disruption, Huang explained how the redevelopment plans will enhance the lives of Frisco residents.
“I think some long-term benefits would be that (hopefully) traffic will be improved if there [are] more people walking than driving,” Huang said. “I also think the renovations they’re making throughout Main Street will overall bring more people to the area, which will be good for the small businesses there!”
