North Texas Transportation in Flux: What the DART Funding Fight and the Collin County Outer Loop Mean for You
Did Plano leave DART and what's happening with the Collin County Outer Loop? Plano canceled its planned exit from DART after a February 2026 funding deal, while the 55-mile Collin County Outer Loop continues moving through public meetings and land negotiations in rural Collin County.
North Texas doesn't have one transportation story unfolding right now, it has two, and they're pulling in opposite directions. In the cities, DART just came within a few months of losing one of its founding members over a funding fight that's been simmering for years. Out in rural Collin County, a very different kind of infrastructure fight is playing out acre by acre, as the county works to finalize the route of a planned 55-mile freeway loop through land that's been in some families for generations.
Neither story made it into most real estate blogs but both matter if you're buying, selling or just trying to understand where North Texas is headed. Here's what's actually happened and what it means for you.
DART's Near-Breakup With Its Largest Suburbs
The trouble started almost as soon as DART's new Silver Line opened. Right after the October 25, 2025 debut of the 26-mile rail line connecting Plano to DFW Airport, Plano, Farmers Branch and Highland Park started moving to cut ties with DART entirely, arguing the agency's funding structure had shortchanged them for years.
The numbers backed them up. An independent Ernst & Young study found that in 2023, Plano paid DART $109 million in sales tax and got back only $44 million in services — less than 50 cents on the dollar. By November 2025, Plano's city council voted unanimously to let residents decide the question directly: a May 2, 2026 ballot measure on whether to leave DART after more than four decades of membership. Irving, Highland Park, Addison, University Park and Farmers Branch were weighing the same move.
DART blinked first. In February 2026, the agency approved a funding compromise: a phased return of sales tax revenue, working up to 10% over six years, plus a restructured board that shrinks Dallas's outsized voting power to around 45% and guarantees every member city its own seat. Plano's council voted unanimously to repeal its withdrawal ordinance, and Farmers Branch and Irving followed. Plano is staying in DART for at least another six years while also rolling out its own supplemental micro-transit service, “Plano Rides,” through the rideshare company Via.
Why This Matters Even If You're Not Buying in a DART City
None of Sachse, Wylie, Murphy, Lavon or Royse City are DART member cities, so this fight doesn't directly touch your property tax bill. But it's worth paying attention to for two reasons. First, it's a preview of how North Texas cities are starting to push back on regional funding formulas generally, the same conversation could eventually reach transit, water or road funding arrangements closer to home. Second, if you're working with buyers who commute through Plano, Addison, Carrollton or who are weighing a move into a DART city specifically for rail access, the fact that this fight almost ended in service disruption is worth knowing before they sign anything.
The Collin County Outer Loop: A Different Kind of Growth Story
While DART's drama played out in city council chambers, a much longer and quieter fight has been unfolding in rural Collin County. The Collin County Outer Loop is a planned 55-mile freeway corridor running from the Denton County line, through or near Celina, Weston, Anna, Melissa, Blue Ridge, Farmersville, Josephine, Nevada and Royse City, to the Rockwall County line. Some segments already have frontage roads in service; others are still working through alignment studies that go back to a 2007 preferred route.
Segment 5, roughly 21 miles between SH 121 and US 380 in northeast Collin County, is the segment currently in active public review. A virtual public meeting ran from November 13 to December 15, 2025 to gather feedback on alignment options and the county has scheduled in-person follow-up meetings for June 3 in Blue Ridge and June 4 in Melissa, presenting alignment refinements based on that earlier input.
This isn't a theoretical planning exercise for the people who own the land in the way. Collin County has authorized eminent domain for Outer Loop segments multiple times since 2018, most recently in May 2024, when landowners between the Dallas North Tollway and Preston Road declined the county's compensation offers. A similar dynamic is playing out on the related US 380 bypass project farther west, where families who've owned land for over a decade are watching proposed routes run directly through their homes and barns.
What This Means If You're Buying, Selling, or Sitting on Acreage
If you own or are considering land anywhere near the Segment 5 corridor (Melissa, Blue Ridge, Farmersville, or the Josephine/Nevada area) the June public meetings are a real opportunity to see the current alignment and weigh in before anything is finalized. Once a route is set, the county negotiates purchase first and uses eminent domain only if that doesn't work but by that point the alignment itself is usually locked.
For buyers, a planned freeway corridor cuts both ways. Proximity to a future Outer Loop interchange can boost long-term commercial and residential value the same way access to the Silver Line has in North Dallas. But it can also mean that quiet ten acres you've been eyeing sits inside a right-of-way that hasn't been finalized yet. Before you close on rural or semi-rural acreage in the outer ring of Collin County, it's worth checking the current Segment 5 alignment maps, not just the zoning.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did Plano leave DART?
No. Plano's city council canceled its planned May 2026 withdrawal election in February 2026 after DART agreed to return more sales tax revenue to member cities and restructure its board.
What is the Collin County Outer Loop?
It's a planned 55-mile freeway corridor connecting the Denton County line to the Rockwall County line, passing near Celina, Melissa, Farmersville, and Royse City. It's being developed in five segments with alignment studies still underway for some of them.
Will the Outer Loop use eminent domain?
Collin County has authorized eminent domain for several Outer Loop segments since 2018, when purchase negotiations with landowners weren't successful and it remains a possibility for segments still finalizing alignment.
Thinking About Buying or Selling in North Texas?
Jeanie Marten Real Estate tracks these kinds of regional infrastructure changes because they shape home values and land use long before most people notice. If you're weighing a move, whether that's a home near a Silver Line station or acreage near the Collin County Outer Loop corridor, we'd be glad to help you understand what's ahead. Visit MartenTeam.com or book a consultation
