Increasing volumes of truck traffic heading north from Mexico have combined in recent years with scores of Winter Texans heading south to cause roadway congestion throughout the Harlingen area of South Texas.

The Texas Department of Transportation began to address the problem in April 2001 when it kicked off construction of upgrades, improvements and expansion of the location in Cameron County where U.S. Highway 83 empties its eastbound traffic into north and southbound U.S. 77.
TxDOT took the traffic flow problem so seriously that it has let more than $61.3 million over a 3½-year period on the project to relieve the area's congestion.

Houston-based Williams Brothers Construction Co. Inc. is the general contractor for the 4.98-mile project, which includes five phases: installation of a new storm sewer system; construction of new main lanes in the center section including bridges; reconstruction of north and southbound main lanes including bridges and retaining walls; and construction of median barriers and illumination.

"Phases I and II are pretty much complete and now we have started Phase III, which is reconstructing the southbound portion of U.S. 77/83," said TxDOT project engineer Rene Garza.
The southbound portion of the project is expected to be completed in February 2004 with the entire expressway finished in March 2005.

Since the enactment of the North American Free Trade Agreement between Canada, the United States and Mexico in 1994, truck traffic making its way north on U.S. 77 from the border towns of Matamoros and Brownsville has steadily increased.

As NAFTA traffic moved north toward Interstate 37 and San Antonio, other truckers chose to head west along the Rio Grande to Laredo before making their way to the Alamo City and points north.
At the same time, Midwesterners and New England residents wishing to escape their brutal winters at home as well as avoid the population explosion in Florida, began to seek their winter solace in the most southern regions of Texas along the Gulf of Mexico.

The result clogged roadways designed in the 1950s and 1960s for approximately one-third the traffic volume it was experiencing.

"There is so much traffic right now that the existing roadway simply couldn't handle the volume we experience on a day-to-day basis," Garza said. "It was obvious that we had to expand this expressway from two lanes to three in each direction just to handle the traffic we have now.

"In Harlingen, where U.S. 77 and U.S. 83 meet, we receive vehicles traveling from both north and south as well as east and west. In the first half-mile where the two highways merge, there are four lanes but then it reduces down to three. It has been a bottleneck and headache for drivers in this area for some time."

And it's not just NAFTA traffic or Winter Texans in their SUVs and motor homes causing the congestion.

"Many of the vehicles on the expressway are used each day just to get to and from work," Garza said. "For instance, I live on the McAllen side of the Valley and have to drive about 40 or 45 miles east to Harlingen or San Benito every day. There are tens of thousands of drivers who make the very same commute. Many others drive about the same distance north from Brownsville daily.
And then, of course, we all turn around at the end of the work day and head back to our homes. It makes for a huge volume of traffic for a roadway that really wasn't designed for it."

Getting Started

At the beginning of the project, workers had to deal with what to do about the volume of traffic around the interchange area where the two highways meet.

On one side of the expressway, the sprawling Valle Vista shopping mall features many of the most popular retail stores and restaurants in the area. On the opposite side are the most populated areas of Harlingen.

"The problem that generates with construction is that we have to keep that traffic flowing yet still construct around it," Garza said. "The logistics of lane closures, switching traffic and keeping it moving through the area was a large obstacle to overcome."

But as the project took shape, the eight overpasses that were the major components of the project helped to alleviate much of the traffic headaches. The new overpasses allow traffic to navigate freely above Lincoln, Louisiana and New Hampshire avenues, M and F streets, Farm-to-Market Road 1479, Ed Carey Drive and FM 509. Additionally, motorists making their way on the streets and roadways beneath the overpasses will enjoy a marked reduction in traffic flow.

Decorative precast retaining walls are currently being installed along the ramps leading to and from the expressway while frontage roads will feature three lanes for increased access and egress.

Several hundred tons of fill dirt was needed for the new ramps and expanded expressway. "The project is pretty much all fill because this highway was built more than 20 years ago," Garza explained. "Some of the vertical curves over the bridges were designed for only 50 or 55 mph and now we have upgraded those so vehicles can move through there at up to 70 mph. Therefore, the length of the curves going over the bridges has to be longer so there is a lot more fill that needs to be added."

Seven of the eight overpass intersections will be paved with an asphalt permeable friction course.
Williams Brothers will supply its own hot mix and also self-perform bridge work for the project.

Demolition Phase

One of the most unique parts of the project took place as crews demolished existing bridges to make room for the new expressway lanes. According to Garza, removal of the bridges entailed more than simple demolition.

"One of the bridges spans the Colorado River and we have to consider environmental problems," he added. "You can't allow pieces of concrete to fall into the water, so crews were forced to saw cut the bridge decks into large pieces which were then removed from the site."

As crews chopped the deck, abutments and piers into manageable-sized pieces, other workers using front-end loaders, bulldozers and dump trucks loaded the concrete to be hauled away. The concrete, rebar and any other usable material was to be recycled, either back into the project or another similar project in the area.

"Also when we demolish the bridges, we have to close the intersections and divert traffic," Garza said. "We also have to close the frontage roads down to just one lane and that causes a lot of headaches for the motorists. We know that and we're sympathetic to them. But we also know that once the demolition phase is over, we can get that traffic back to a more normal flow. And once this project is complete, it will make a huge difference for the motorists in this area."

Messaging Technology

The expanded roadways will feature the latest in messaging technology from TxDOT. At least four huge message boards are being installed throughout the area, including two already in use:
southbound on U.S. 77 and eastbound on U.S. 83. At least two more are scheduled to be installed by San Benito-based V.C. Huff Inc.

Tied into the statewide TxDOT information network, the boards can quickly convey road conditions, lane closures and up-to-the-minute accident locations. The boards can also carry information regarding Amber Alerts to help locate missing children.

Garza said there was no major utility relocation for the project. "There was a little bit of that such as moving some lines over to install the new storm sewers in phase one," he said. "But that's pretty typical for a project like this one. There really was nothing major in terms of utility relocation."

A workforce of more than 200 was onsite in late March at the project. Work schedules were typically 5-10s with some subcontractors working modified schedules - such as late-night work - to keep the impact to traffic at a minimum.

And while Williams Brothers continues work on the U.S. 77/83 expansion, the company recently kicked off construction of another large-scale TxDOT project in the area: the $82.5 million expansion of U.S. 83 through Weslaco between Harlingen and McAllen.