Improvement works will be carried out on I-35 in Texas, which runs north-south across the state. A contract worth US$1.5 billion for the work was awarded to Webber, a subsidiary of the firm Ferrovial. The work will be carried out in San Antonio, one of the fastest growing cities in the US.
The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) awarded Webber the package, which is for the Interstate 35 Northeast Expansion (NEX) design-build project.
With this latest package of works, Webber and its parent Ferrovial will handle the design, construction and maintenance for a key stretch of I-35. The project consists of the design, construction and maintenance of approximately 15km of non-tolled improvements along I-35 including the construction of approximately 29km of additional elevated main lanes.
The project scope of work consists of construction of elevated managed lanes between the existing main lanes and frontage roads and eight bridges, and the reconstruction and widening of the Loop 1604 general purpose lanes and bridges. It includes more than 800 spans of bridge construction and 4,500 concrete beams.
The highway is important for the state, linking the border at Laredo in Mexico with the major cities of San Antonio, Austin, Dallas and Fort Worth. The route suffers heavy congestion along a number of key stretches. With a major programme of widening having been planned by TxDOT.
This section of the route will be operated without tolls once the work is complete. The construction work is expected to commence in 2022 and should take until 2026 before the stretch is ready for traffic.
Meanwhile, other improvements being carried out to I-35 at Williams Drive include building a new bridge over the highway. This will be for a diverging diamond intersection. There will also be work to build northbound and southbound intersection bypass lanes under the Williams Drive bridge, extending the northbound I-35 frontage road from Williams Drive to the Lakeway Drive exit ramp. Improvements will be carried out to the existing southbound I-35 frontage road, the Austin Avenue intersection at Williams Drive, while bicycle and pedestrian paths will be built.
Work started in the third quarter of 2020 and should be complete in mid-2023. The project is being carried out by JD Abrams and the work is worth $61.7 million.
