Rockwall County is updating its Master Thoroughfare Plan as the county's population is projected to nearly double by 2050.

The county's population stood at about 96,700 in 2017, when the last thoroughfare planning effort began. It has since climbed to roughly 135,500 and is projected to reach 245,000 by 2050, according to a county announcement posted Wednesday, Sept. 16. The updated plan will map future road connections, identify corridors to preserve and aim to keep traffic moving as new subdivisions and commercial development fill in.

County Engineer Erika Bridges has briefed the Commissioners Court on the update at regular meetings since at least June 23. The plan appeared on the court's agenda again on July 14, July 28, Aug. 11 and most recently Sept. 8, each time as a discussion item with no formal vote. Precinct 3 Commissioner Lorne Liechty has served as the court's liaison on the project.

The county allocated $450,000 from its 2021 voter-approved road bond to hire a consulting firm for the update, according to a bond reprioritization document dated Sept. 17, 2025. The firm's name does not appear in available county records.

The new plan builds on the county's Strategic Plan 2050 and the 2019 Thoroughfare Plan. It is being called the 2027 Rockwall County Thoroughfare Plan in a separate June 2026 county posting, suggesting the county is targeting adoption next year.

Road construction has been slow. Precinct 4 Commissioner John Stacy wrote in a Sept. 6 op-ed in the Rockwall County Herald-Banner that only 15.2 miles of lanes had been added countywide in 22 years, excluding Interstate 30. Stacy called that record a failure and wrote that residents need road projects built, not just discussed.

Stacy's column addressed the county's broader road-bond program and consultant change, not the thoroughfare plan specifically. But the slow pace of construction he described is part of what the updated plan is meant to address.

The county said it plans to hold a public town hall later in 2026 where residents can review the draft plan and offer input. A date, time and location have not been announced. Survey responses collected during the planning process will help validate the technical analysis before the first draft is released, according to the county.

Residents can track the plan's progress at rockwallcountytexas.com/1419/Transportation.