The Senate voted to end debate on a $15-billion jobs bill on Feb. 22. Five Republicans, including fledgling Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown, joined all but one Democrat in voting to advance the bill, which the Senate plans to take up later in the week. Key provisions include an extension of the Highway Trust Fund—set to expire on Feb. 28— through September 2010 and an expansion of the Build America bond program.
An innovative, Texas-style highway contract will be put to the test as construction starts this month on the $1.02-billion DFW Connector project. It is designed to relieve congestion and double traffic capacity near the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. The design-build contract for the job, a so-called Comprehensive Development Agreement, or CDA, was awarded by the Texas Dept. of Transportation (TxDOT) on Oct. 6, 2009 to NorthGate Constructors, a joint-venture consortium led by Kiewit Texas Construction, Fort Worth, and Zachry Construction, San Antonio. Under the CDA, the consortium will simultaneously design and build the new expressway complex starting on Feb. 15.
The Texas Transportation Commission Thursday conditionally awarded the LBJ Development Partners, a private-public partnership, a contract to finance, design, construct, operate and maintain the $4-billion, 13-mile LBJ-635 corridor in Dallas. The PPP’s main partner is Spanish toll road developer Cintra, which will lead the design and construction team. The 55-year contract is expected to be finalized in two months. The project could begin as early as mid-2010 with completion expected in four to five years. The design will enable the new highway to be constructed while minimizing the need for additional right of way, according to the Texas Dept. of
After strongly criticizing President Obama’s $787-billion economic stimulus package, Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) has agreed to accept all $17 billion of the state’s earmarked federal money. The big question now is where and when the money will be spent. Photo: CTRMA Texas stimulus project candidates include $130 million for an Austin interchange. Related Links: View all economic stimulus headlines The Texas Transportation Commission and the State Legislative Budget Board are both meeting to discuss how to distribute the monies and put Texans back to work, but it is unclear when plans for all specific projects will be announced. At
Photo: NorthGate Constructors The $1.02-billion DFW Connector project, designed to relieve congestion and double traffic capacity on 8.4 mi of state highways 121 and 114, gets under way in earnest Feb. 15. “Work zone” signs are already posted and some speed limits reduced on the corridor through Southlake, Grapevine and the north edge of the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, where roads will be rebuilt and expanded, ultimately doubling capacity from 12 to 24 lanes. NorthGate Constructors, a joint venture led by Kiewit Texas Construction, Fort Worth, and Zachry Construction, San Antonio, won the contract last year from the Texas Dept.
The Texas Department of Transportation today announced that it has effectively pulled the plug on its ambitious and widely publicized Trans-Texas Corridor, a comprehensive transportation plan introduced by TxDOT and Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) in 2002. What was once envisioned as 4,000 miles of existing and new highways, railways and utility rights-of-way now will be attempted in smaller segments. Photo: TxDOT The vision that was: A rendering of the project formerly known as the Trans-Texas Corridor. Photo: TxDOT Amadeo Saenz, Jr., executive director of the Texas Department of Transportation. Major contracting consortiums had lined up to build the first
