Both will add a decidedly modern flair to the nearby historic Waco Suspension Bridge, a 475-ft long pedestrian bridge that opened in 1869 as the first crossing of the Brazos River. "The extradosed bridges are good looking and more economical than a suspension or cable stayed bridge," Petter says. "AECOM did the bridge details and plan work."

AECOM also is reviewing Lane's shop drawings during construction, Pruemer says. Lane has engaged Finley Engineering Group Inc., Tallahassee, Fla., to design temporary shoring, conduct stay-cable construction analysis and design the steel superstructure erection sequence. Paris-based Freyssinet will install the proprietary stay-cable system.

Lane plans to begin installing the drill shaft foundations by September. "It's pretty much a bridge that we've built before, but it's got these cables," says Pruemer, who is more concerned with the speed of delivery than complexity. TxDOT has offered Lane an $800,000 early-completion bonus if the contractor can deliver the bridges by Baylor's 2014 football season. "Contractually, we don't have to be done until fall 2015, but there's a big push to get both the bridges and stadium done early," Pruemer says.

Coordinating with the stadium contractor, a tight worksite, nearby businesses and plenty of university pedestrian and recreational river traffic are some of the challenges for Lane. But the contractor's exposure to traffic is its biggest concern, Pruemer says. In preparation, Lane has beefed up safety training for all staff, from craft level to supervisors, and also organized and sponsored four-hour work zone safety classes for more than 423 police officers, firefighters and dispatchers.

"This area is one of the most heavily traveled and deadliest parts of I-35 for traffic fatalities," Pruemer says. "Law enforcement helps us control speeds and traffic during construction. We are trying to get every officer we work with to go through this training, and we pay for it all."