Infra Insight Blog

On January 23, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) issued a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) soliciting qualifications from private developers interested in entering into a design-build contract and capital maintenance agreement and/or a toll concession agreement for the IH 35E Managed Lanes Project. The RFQ provides prospective developers the opportunity to submit qualifications for one or both of the two public-private partnership (P3) methods. Qualification submittals for the project are due March 23, 2012.   

IH 35E serves the rapidly growing areas of southern and central Denton County, as well as major Dallas suburbs. Since it opened as part of the original national interstate program almost 50 years ago, the northern link of the corridor has been under a constant state of maintenance, upgrade, expansion, evaluation, planning, design, and construction.    

The goal of the proposed $4.4 billion high-priority project is to rebuild the 28-mile section of IH 35E from IH 635 in Dallas County to US 380 in Denton County, and provide managed lanes that feature dynamic pricing to keep traffic moving at 50 mph. Almost $600 million in funding has been identified, with most coming from $535 million in regional toll revenue funds dedicated to Denton County.

TxDOT received authority from the 82nd Texas Legislature under Senate Bill 1420 to develop the IH 35E Managed Lanes Project and 10 other specific projects using P3s. The Texas Transportation Commission authorized TxDOT to issue an RFQ for the Project on Sept. 29, 2011.