News Of Texas Universal Studios Park Brings Traffic Concerns For Locals

When news of Universal Studios' plans to build a 97-acre theme park and hotel in Texas, locals had one thing on their minds (besides rollercoasters, of course): traffic.

A new kid-friendly theme park will be located near the Dallas North Tollway and Panther Creek Parkway in Frisco. Its entrance and exit will be right off the Dallas North Tollway, while visitors can access the accompanying hotel from Panther Creek Parkway.

Developers and concerned neighbors gathered at a meeting of Frisco's planning and zoning commission on Wednesday (January 11), WFAA reports. Transportation planners said they would look into how the new theme park would affect the area, which is already highly congested as it is after resident Philip Ray asked how it won't "keep those of us who live in Cobb Hill from using the north exit of our home every day."

Another resident Colin Berry, who can see the plot of land from his backyard, is also concerned about traffic in his neighborhood. "We're not used to amusement parks. We're used to houses and Costcos and H-E-Bs," he said.

Frisco Mayor Jeff Cheney listed other potential developments for the area that would have impacted traffic even more than the new theme park. "The traffic impact of high rise, office, mixed use, hotel — all the uses that were planned for this site — would have probably been thousands more cars a day," he said.

Universal Parks and Resorts President of New Ventures Page Thompson said both the park and hotel would be built on the northeast side of the property so there's plenty of room for parking and an "easy" way to get in and out. Furthermore, the park's hours won't interfere with commute times where people might be on the road more.

North Central Texas Council of Governments Chairman Michael Morris said traffic in and out of the park "doesn't give me a heartburn." He added that traffic for a theme park is not the same as traffic in Collin County and Denton County. "They have huge a.m. peak period congestion and huge p.m. peak period congestion. It's largely weekday. Not at night. Not weekend," he said.