Highways/Bridges: Award of Merit
Granite Construction Co. led design-build on the $182.7-million Section 6 of the Chisholm Trail Parkway, a 13.1-mile toll road that accounts for almost half of the 27.6-mile parkway. The remaining 14 miles were broken into six bid-build packages. An aggressive project schedule ensured the successful opening of Section 6 to revenue service at the same time as other sections of the parkway, which were already under development when Granite received the November 2011 notice to proceed.
The project management plan included a co-located design-build office, a design-quality program and a design content management system. The project was completed ahead of schedule in April 2014.
Granite had to relocate all public and private utilities affected by roadway construction, coordinating with more than 25 different companies on more than 90 different crossings. These relocations also required months of design to facilitate not only the relocations themselves but also continuation of service. Access roads for production gas wells and large gas pipelines needed to be protected or relocated since the project footprint was situated within the Barnett Shale natural gas formation.
A key component on Section 6 was the North Texas Tollway Authority's "850 Specification," an aesthetics requirement for all bridge columns, caps, abutments and concrete traffic barriers that ensures color and texture uniformity with other NTTA projects. This required increased coordination and quality control over concrete mixes and pouring and placing techniques. Throughout casting all columns and caps, Granite kept construction methods consistent to make sure the final color was uniform. The NTTA accepted the product's finish without the need for any rework.
Key Players
General Contractor Granite Construction Co., Lewisville, Texas
Owner North Texas Tollway Authority, Plano, Texas
Lead Design Dannenbaum Engineering Corp., Fort Worth
Design Subconsultant Kimley-Horn & Associates, Dallas
