Growing Collin County Spurs Tollway Expansions

State Highway 121 Toll Road expands; Dallas North Tollway widens from a rural road into a six-lane divided thoroughfare.

North Texas Toll Road Authority Project Awards $55M Contract

Houston-based Sterling Construction Co. recently began work on a $55 million project for the North Texas Toll Road Authority for excavation and embankment work, installation of storm sewers and construction of three mi of six-lane, concrete highway and 11 bridges.

This project is an extension of the SH 121 toll road through Allen, just north of Dallas. Construction is expected to take 21 months.

Collin County Throughway Expands from Two to Six Lanes

A 2.8-mi stretch of Eldorado Parkway (FM 2934), between Little Elm and the Dallas North Tollway, will be widened from a two-lane rural road to a six-lane, divided thoroughfare in the coming months.

The Eldorado Parkway project is the first of several that are funded by the upfront payment from the North Texas Tollway Authority for the right to finance, design, construct, operate and maintain SH 121 in Collin and Denton counties.

Houston-based W. W. Webber LLC submitted the winning bid among the eight bidders and was 1.5% under TxDOT’s estimate.

TxDOT anticipates that up to five additional projects will be funded in the coming months, including SH 161 in Grand Prairie and Irving, along with the interchange at U.S. 75 and Parker Road in Plano.

Lubbock's Tallest and Longest Bridges Open for Traffic

Lubbock's tallest and longest bridges opened recently to traffic, with the eastbound flyover opening first, followed by the southbound. The flyovers provide transition of traffic from one major facility to another.

Two additional phases of the freeway will be open in mid-2009 and early 2010, allowing Lubbock motorists to drive unhindered from the West Loop almost to the Interstate in just a few years.

Traffic counts for the southbound flyover are projected to reach 13,600 vehicles per day by the year 2020. The eastbound flyover will carry 13,600 vehicles per day, and the main lanes (U.S. 62/82) are projected to carry about 55,700 vehicles per day. The southbound flyover is 76-ft high and 3,900- ft long. The eastbound flyover is 45-ft high and 1,700-ft long.

This phase cost $32 million and included construction of the main lanes over the West Loop. Granite Construction Co. of Watsonville, Calif., completed the job, and TxDOT opened the main lanes in December.

San Antonio Bridge Replacement Projects Under Way

Austin-based Capital Excavation Co. recently began the $4.1 million project to replace the Old Hwy 90 Bridge over U.S. 90 in west San Antonio.

The narrow bridge and approaches of the Old Hwy 90 bridge will be replaced and the existing U.S. 90 westbound frontage road will be realigned to go under the new Old Hwy 90 bridge. Among the improvements include drainage, new illumination, signing, new pavement markings and new traffic management system.

TxDOT anticipates that the project will be completed by end of June 2009.

TxDOT Capital Excavation is also widening the IH-410 bridges over IH-10, east of San Antonio. This project widens all four of the bridges on Loop 410 over IH-10 (two main lane bridges and the two frontage road bridges).

The existing main lane bridges have a 28-ft roadway width that is being widened to 38 ft. This will allow for two lanes with a 4-ft inside shoulder and a 10-ft outside shoulder. The existing frontage road bridges have a 24-ft roadway width that is being widened to 38 ft.

The $5.9 million project is anticipated to be complete by March 2009.

FM 156 Realignment Stretches Three Miles

Work began in March to realign Farm-to-Market Road 156 from south of State Highway 114 in Denton County to Intermodal Parkway in Tarrant County. The new 3.1-mi roadway will have one lane in each direction with shoulders.

TxDOT awarded the project to Ed Bell Construction Co. of Dallas for $10.4 million. The project is scheduled for completion by summer 2009. Construction on the second phase of the realignment from Intermodal Parkway to Main Street in Haslet could begin before the end of the year.

Highway 277 Rehabilitation Starts This Month

Rehabilitation of U.S. Highway 277 in Val Verde starts this month along more than six mi from south of U.S. 377 to three mi north of U.S. 377. The project involves the construction rehabilitation of an existing roadway.

Reece Albert Inc. of San Angelo is expected complete work by this fall.