WSP will provide engineering services for the 3km I-35 Capital Express Central Downtown (CapEx-C Downtown) Corridor reconstruction through downtown Austin, Texas. The firm was awarded the contract by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT).
WSP will provide plans, specifications and estimates (PS&E) for downtown segment, which forms part of TxDOT’s US$4.5 billion, 13km I-35 Capital Express Central Project.
The project will boost safety and mobility throughout the CapEx-C corridor. The work involves lowering the existing I-35 roadway and adding non-tolled high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes in each direction, connecting downtown Austin communities by reconstructing east-west cross-street bridges and a redesign of the CapMetro Red Line crossing at 4th Street to connect to the Austin Convention Center. It also includes adding pedestrian and bicycle paths, and designing the infrastructure support for the “caps” funded by the City of Austin and the University of Texas at Austin, which could include deck parks to serve neighbouring communities.
WSP will design the traffic control phasing for both the downtown and University of Texas segments of the highway and coordinate efforts with various ongoing design and construction projects along the CapEx Corridor. CapEx-C is targeting completion in 2032.
“Capital Express Central Downtown is a signature project for TxDOT. It will enhance mobility in Austin and connect communities, improving safety and helping to alleviate congestion,” said Stephanie Messerli, senior vice president and Texas transportation leader at WSP. “The knowledge gained from WSP’s recent work on the adjacent Capital Express Central Lady Bird Lake PS&E will play a critical role in creating a successful plan for the Capital Express Central Downtown segment.”
The I-35 Capital Express Program project represents the first significant upgrade of the I-35 corridor since 1974. It includes three stand-alone projects — North, Central and South — and is part of TxDOT’s wider Mobility35 Program that covers nearly 130km of corridor through Williamson, Travis and Hays counties.
