...construction early in 2010 on the last segment of the $639-million Sam Rayburn Tollway, and by midyear on the $1-billion, 8.7 mi, six-lane Southwest Parkway.
The North Central Texas Council of Governments through the Texas Transportation Commission allocated approximately $133.9 million in federal stimulus funds to the Southwest Parkway project.
Stimulus funding The majority of 200-plus TxDOT projects funded through early stimulus lettings were maintenance and bridge replacement projects.
“They were easier to get cleared environmentally and through the planning process,” Barton says.
The department also committed $70 million in stimulus dollars to a freeway expansion on U.S. Route 281 in Falfurrias and $250 million to the DFW Connector, north of the Dallas airport.
“That is the single largest transportation funded project from the stimulus act,” Barton says. “Vice President (Joe) Biden’s office called and said, ‘Congratulations,you have the largest stimulus project in the nation.’”
Last year, TxDOT awarded the $967-million design-build DFW Connector—adding more lanes along the SH 114/SH 121 corridor—to NorthGate Constructors of Irving. NorthGate is a joint venture led by Kiewit Texas Construction of Fort Worth and Zachry Construction Corp. of San Antonio. The team will reconstruct 16 mi of multilane roadways and rebuild seven interchanges.
“We were able to take $250 million of stimulus money and get a billion dollars worth of assets,” Barton says. The department still needs to let stimulus projects, including a $140-million interchange at U.S. route 281 and Loop 1604 in San Antonio; a $140-million interchange at Interstate 10 and Loop 375 in El Paso; and the $400-million-$500-milion Grand Parkway project in Houston, which will receive about $181 million in stimulus funds.
“Some of the larger-dollar, big-splash projects are becoming a reality,” Barton says.
The Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority is heading up the Manor Expressway project in Austin and has begun seeking a contractor to build the first 6.2-mi phase, which includes four flyover ramps at U.S. Route 183. The authority will use $90 million in stimulus dollars to fund a portion of the $600-million project, expected to break ground in spring 2010.
Archer Western Contractors-Texas of Arlington received the $44.5-million contract from TxDOT to build the 5.2-acre Woodall Rodgers Freeway deck, which will create a public park above that expressway. The park received $16.7 million in federal stimulus funds set aside for transportation enhancement. The project broke ground in mid-October and is scheduled for a 2012 opening.
The road ahead TxDOT returned $742 million in SAFETEA-LU funds to the federal government, as part of an $8.7-billion rescission of highway project funding. The department expected to use most of that money for planning, but the funding included $103 million in equity bonus funding, which was to ensure donor states received their fair share of the federal dollars.
“The highway trust fund did not have enough money to cover all of the bills that could have been generated,” Barton says.
Barton anticipates a 2011 funding level of about $4 billion, but after that, he foresees far fewer lettings, unless the state gives authority to issue more bonds.
“We will return to a level of bidding opportunities in 2012 of around $2 billion per year,” Barton says. “We’re hopeful [the Legislature] will be able to find ways to increase transportation funding in Texas.”
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