Widening the Sam Houston Tollway will require new twin bridges across the Houston Ship Channel. FIGG is designing the main span cable-stayed bridge, while general contractor on the design-bid-build bridge project is Ship Channel Constructors, a joint venture between Traylor Brothers Inc. and Zachry Construction Corp. The main span of each of the cable-stayed bridges will be 1,320 ft, and they will provide four toll lanes and full shoulders in both directions. One of the largest challenges is the coordination of the construction processes amid 120 major utility pipelines and bustling UPRR and PTRA rail lines at one of the country’s busiest seaports, says Mike Perez, Harris County Toll Road Authority senior staff engineer. Another challenge is poor soils at the site, which will require the drill shafts for pylons to be more than 200 ft deep, he says.