Two Road Projects Around Godley, Each on Its Own Clock

Which project will do more to change how you get around Godley: 13 miles of toll road being widened, with bridge crews working from Don Lee Road down past Sparks Road, or a 1.6-mile stretch of downtown streets where construction hasn't started?

Only one of these two projects is still deciding what it will build. The Chisholm Trail Parkway widening already has an opening date, a list of bridges under construction and toll rates published through June 2027. The downtown Godley project is still a study that includes public involvement, and the county has published no construction dates for it. That's why the downtown work is the one worth watching closely between now and the parkway's finish line.

The parkway already has a finish date

The North Texas Tollway Authority is widening the Chisholm Trail Parkway for about 13 miles, from FM 1187 in Tarrant County to US 67 in Johnson County. NTTA's July 2026 progress report says the project adds two new mainlanes, giving drivers two continuous lanes in each direction. The listed opening date is late 2028.

NTTA splits the job at FM 917. One section runs from FM 1187 to FM 917, and the other runs from FM 917 to US 67. NTTA shows both sections under construction at the same time. If you drive the parkway from the FM 917 interchange, you're in the middle of the work whichever way you head.

The bridges show where the work stands. The July 2026 report lists each structure by stage:

• Bridge deck work: Don Lee Road and CR 904
• Bridge construction underway: Buffalo Creek and CR 1015
• Substructure work: Sparks Road, CR 920 and CR 913

NTTA's project page also notes that beams went up at CR 1015 in June 2026. The report lists the next steps as more bridge construction alongside embankment, subgrade and paving work, plus drainage along the whole corridor. Paving starts while the bridges are still going up, and the work runs through the late-2028 opening.

The FM 917 ramp closure lifts in January

The closure Godley drivers are most likely to run into is at FM 917. NTTA lists the southbound Chisholm Trail Parkway entrance ramp from FM 917 as closed from Monday, July 27 through January 2027 while crews rebuild the southbound mainlanes and ramps in that area.

That ramp sends traffic south toward Cleburne and US 67. The notice covers the southbound entrance only, so a morning drive north toward Fort Worth from FM 917 isn't part of this closure. By the time this post goes live, about two months are left on the posted window. If your errands or commute head south, January is the month to watch.

Construction schedules change, and NTTA's project page doesn't show a publish date. The most reliable source for current closures is NTTA itself. You can subscribe to project updates, email [email protected], or call the public involvement line at (469) 608-6880.

What the drive costs while the work goes on

Tolls are the part of this project that stays put. NTTA's 2025–2027 toll rate tables run from July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2027. Here are the published two-axle TollTag rates at the toll points on this stretch:

The difference between toll points adds up. Passing the mainlane gantry between CR 904 and Sparks Road costs more than five times the Sparks Road rate. The FM 917 point costs about double the CR 920 or CR 913 rate. If you drive the corridor every workday, where you get on and off matters more than the construction does.

NTTA's Plan Your Trip page says toll rates adjust every other year at 2.75%, compounded in odd-numbered years, and its Board of Directors reviews the need for an increase during the annual budget process. The current table ends June 30, 2027, so the next scheduled review lands in 2027, while the widening is still underway.

Downtown Godley is the project still being decided

The other project is closer to home. It's listed in Johnson County's bond program as Project 1.2, Downtown Godley (SH 171 to Links Drive), and it covers about 1.6 miles. The county classifies it as a safety and mobility project and describes the existing roads this way:

"Two lane roadways with multiple sharp (>90 degree) turns at intersections and two at-grade RR crossings."

If you've waited at either rail crossing or made one of those tight turns downtown, that description will sound familiar. The county's plan starts with an operational traffic study that includes public involvement, aimed at finding the most effective ways to improve safety and mobility. The project page says the expected improvements include rebuilding several downtown intersections for driver and pedestrian safety. It also calls for working with the railroad to improve safety and operations at the at-grade crossings.

That's a different kind of project from the parkway. The CTP has active bridge crews and an opening date. The downtown project has a defined problem and a plan to study it, and the county page lists its improvements as anticipated, with no construction dates.

The funding comes from the $60 million countywide transportation bond program that Johnson County voters approved on November 5, 2024. That's two years ago this week. The project page doesn't give a separate dollar amount for downtown Godley, so how much of the $60 million it will use isn't public yet.

The public involvement got underway this fall. The City of Godley's calendar listed a Johnson County Traffic Feasibility Study for Downtown Godley Open House on September 22, 2026, from 5 to 7 p.m. The listing describes the study as Johnson County working with the City to find ways to improve mobility and safety in and around downtown. It says the study will evaluate roadway and intersection needs for both drivers and pedestrians.

Pedestrians are part of the scope, alongside cars and trains. That matters for a downtown where people walk between City Hall, the park and the shops nearby.

How the dates line up

On a single calendar, the two projects look like this:

1. November 5, 2024: Johnson County voters approve the $60 million transportation bond that funds the downtown Godley study.
2. June 2026: Beams go up at the CR 1015 bridge on the parkway.
3. July 27, 2026: The southbound CTP entrance ramp from FM 917 closes.
4. September 22, 2026: The downtown Godley traffic feasibility study holds an open house.
5. December 5, 2026: Downtown hosts the City's Holiday in the Park from noon to 6 p.m. at 104 E. Allen Ave., with a vendor market, free children's activities and Santa photos from 2 to 6 p.m. The Holiday Parade runs from 6 to 6:15 p.m., starting at City Hall and ending at the park, and the tree lighting follows. Parade registration is open now.
6. January 2027: The posted end of the FM 917 southbound ramp closure.
7. June 30, 2027: The current NTTA toll rate table expires.
8. Late 2028: The widened Chisholm Trail Parkway opens, with two continuous lanes in each direction from FM 1187 to US 67.

The downtown project has no construction date to add to this list yet. The parkway's dates are set, and you can plan your drives around them. The downtown dates will come out of a study that Johnson County built around public involvement, and the City of Godley's calendar is where its open houses have been posted.

When roads are under construction and plans are still being drawn, it's natural to wonder how it all affects your home, your daily drive or a move you're thinking about. I'm always glad to talk through what the parkway timeline and the downtown study mean for your corner of Godley, so reach out to Leslie Billingsley and Let's Connect.