Infra Insight Blog

On November 3rd, Austin voters approved a property tax increase to help fund the $7.1 billion Project Connect mass transit project. The initial investment, which is a portion of the “Project Connect System Plan,” includes 27 miles of rail service, 31 stations and a transit tunnel. Specific elements of the plan include: ...

On September 28, 2015, the Texas Department of Transportation and Flatiron/Dragados, LLC  (Developer) entered into a comprehensive development agreement (Agreement) for the Harbor Bridge Replacement Project in Corpus Christi (the Project).  The new Corpus Christi Harbor Bridge will allow larger ships to deliver their cargo to the Port of Corpus Christi, serving as an economic catalyst for the region and the State of Texas.  The current bridge was built in the late 1950s. Plans for a replacement bridge to improve safety have been in the works for more than a decade.  The proposed $800 ...

Three months after the May 15, 2015 issuance of a Request for Qualifications (RFQ), the SH 249 Extension Project is another step closer to development.  The RFQ solicited qualifications from teams interested in entering into a design-build contract and a comprehensive maintenance agreement for the Project.  Following a two-month process, which included questions and answers from interested industry participants and an industry workshop, TxDOT received Qualification Statements from seven teams on July 17, 2015. Over the next month, the Qualification Statements were evaluated ...

On May 15, 2015, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and Lane-Abrams Joint Venture  (DB Contractor) entered into a design-build contract (DBA) and associated comprehensive maintenance agreement (COMA) for the approximately $300 million SH 360 Project (the Project).

Pursuant to the DBA, DB Contractor will design and construct and potentially maintain approximately 9.7 miles of improvements to SH 360 consisting of two toll lanes in each direction from approximately Green Oaks Blvd/Kingswood Blvd to US 287, in addition to frontage road and intersection improvements.  ...

Federal transportation officials are contemplating new contract rules that would make it easier for states and cities to hire local residents to work on transportation projects.  Federal rules currently prohibit the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) from allowing contract provisions that do not directly relate to the bidder's performance of work.  Thus, local hiring provisions have not been allowed in procurements for federally funded projects.  This month, however, U.S. Transportation Secretary, Anthony Foxx, announced a ...

Javier Rodriguez, P.E., Executive Director of the Miami-Dade Expressway Authority (MDX), is ready to begin his role as president of the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association (IBTTA) for 2015.  Rodriguez was elected during IBTTA’s 82nd Annual Meeting and Exhibition in Austin, which brought together nearly 1,000 transportation leaders from more than 20 countries to discuss innovative practices, policies, technologies, funding options and business models transforming mobility for drivers worldwide.

As the executive director of MDX, Rodriguez led the ...

On August 22, 2014, the Texas Department of Transportation and Abrams-Kiewit Joint Venture (Developer) reached commercial close on the Loop 375 Border Highway West Extension Project (Project).  The contract, which includes design-build and comprehensive maintenance agreements (collectively the CDA), was conditionally awarded to the Developer in April of this year.  Developer is a joint venture consisting of J.D. Abrams and Kiewit Infrastructure South Co.

The Project is located west of downtown El Paso, south of Interstate Highway 10 (I-10) and extends approximately nine ...

The North Tarrant Express Segments 3A & 3B Project (Project) reached financial close earlier today.  The Project will provide over $1.5 billion of needed infrastructure to the Fort Worth area, as well as operations and maintenance over the next several decades.  The Project will expand Interstate 35W in north Fort Worth, one of the region’s top priorities for congestion relief.  Segments 3A and 3B are the primary focus of the North Tarrant Express Master Development Plan, and will add approximately 10 miles of I-35W to the North Tarrant Express project.

Pursuant to the agreement ...

The U.S. Department of Transportation announced Monday that it is making $474 million in financing available through its transportation investments grant program pursuant to the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2013 (Pub. L. 113-6, March 26, 2013).  The appropriation is similar to the appropriation for the TIGER program and USDOT will continue to refer to the program as ‘‘TIGER Discretionary Grants.’’ As with previous rounds of TIGER, funds for the FY 2013 TIGER program will be awarded on a competitive basis for projects that will have a significant impact on the ...

The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) has reached a tentative, $1.6 billion deal with a private developer to expand Interstate 35W in north Fort Worth.  According to a report released by TxDOT in late August, the stretch of I-35W in northern Tarrant County that is the subject of the agreement is the most congested roadway in the state - causing motorists to collectively waste more than 2 million hours.  The deal between TxDOT and the developer, an affiliate of the entity that is currently developing the $2.5 billion North Tarrant Express project in northeast Tarrant County, will ...

On Dec. 9, 2012, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) issued a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) soliciting qualifications from teams interested in entering into a design-build contract and a potential capital maintenance agreement for the Dallas Horseshoe Project.  Following a three-month process, which included questions and answers from interested industry participants, TxDOT received seven Qualification Statemelnts on Feb. 22, 2012.  Over the next month, the Qualification Statements were evaluated by TxDOT.  On March 29, 2012, TxDOT announced the short list of ...

During the recent legislative session, TxDOT received authority under Senate Bill 1420 to develop certain projects, including, among others, the SH 99 Grand Parkway project in the Houston area, as well as the I-35E Managed Lanes project in the Dallas/Fort Worth area through a public private partnership procurement process. On June 10, 2011, TxDOT intends to issue requests for information (RFIs) to assist in formulating strategies for the development of these urgently needed projects. Copies of each RFI will be available on TxDOT's website. TxDOT is seeking RFI responses from ...