Highway Improvements
TxDOT Picks Fluor for $548M Capital Express South Project in Austin
Fluor will build two HOV lanes in each direction for about 9 miles of I-35 in Austin, plus make other additions to the highway.
Rendering courtesy of TxDOT
Fluor Corp. won a $547.6-million contract from the Texas Dept. of Transportation for construction of the Interstate-35 Capital Express South project in Austin. Construction is scheduled to start later this year and achieve substantial completion in late 2027.
“This new award is a continuation of Fluor’s Texas-centric infrastructure focus and reinforces the strength of our relationships with state and local officials across the state,” Thomas Nilsson, president of Fluor’s infrastructure business, said in a statement.
Plans call for the addition of two high-occupancy-vehicle lanes in each direction for about 9 miles between U.S. 290 West/State Highway 71/Ben White Boulevard and State Highway 45 Southeast. Fluor will also reconstruct bridges and frontage roads, build intersection bypass lanes and add a shared-use pedestrian and bicycle path.
Fluor is based in Irving, Texas, and ranks No. 5 on ENR’s 2022 Top 400 Contractors list. The company is currently working on several other major road projects in Texas, including TxDOT’s Austin-area Oak Hill Parkway widening as part of a joint venture with Balfour Beatty.
TxDOT officials say I-35 projects are needed because the section of the highway running through Austin is one of the most congested in the state. This contract covers one of the three planned projects to improve mobility and safety along portions of I-35 in Austin.
Plans also call for the addition of one non-tolled HOV lane in each direction from State Highway 45 North to U.S. 290 East and other improvements, at an estimated cost of $500 million in the Capital Express North project. Work on that project also is expected to start this year, TxDOT records state.
The Capital Express Central project is still in planning stages, but will connect the two other projects with additional managed lanes at an estimated cost of $4.9 billion. Work on that segment is expected to start in late 2025.
