December TxDOT Highway Letting Dates

The December Texas Department of Transportation's highway letting is scheduled for Dec. 4 and 5. According to a September 23 report, 74 projects are approved to be let with an estimated total value of $263,816,514.

The report also cited that projects may be added, advanced or delayed as deemed necessary.

Highway Specifications Placed Under One Roof

The Federal Highway Administration has launched a new Web site that, for the first time, makes available all highway construction specifications from the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.

The new National Highway Specifications Web site (www.specs.fhwa.dot.gov) is a collaborative effort of the FHWA and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.

The Web site serves as a clearinghouse and electronic library where users can search, review, cross-reference and download current specifications and other specification-related documents.

FHWA administrator Mary Peters said, previously, locating and retrieving current specifications was a time-consuming and often tedious process. "Although more state highway agencies are putting their construction specifications online, finding and navigating the various Web sites can still be difficult," she added. "Also, more than 20 national trade organizations and several federal agencies issue specifications and rules affecting highway construction."

The site also features discussion forums on such topics as performance-related specifications, design-build, warranty specifications, and quality assurance. And users can find links to specification-related web sites hosted by highway agencies and others.

$63.2 Million Turnpike Project Awarded

State Highway 45 North, a new toll road providing an east-west thoroughfare between Travis and Williamson counties, began construction this month.

The $63.2 million construction contract is for an approximately 2.8 mile segment of SH 45 North from Parmer Lane east to the future SH 45 North/Loop 1 interchange.
Construction will include a six-lane roadway, intermittent frontage roads and toll ramps.

Completion is scheduled for summer 2006, when other sections of SH 45 North and Loop 1 are also scheduled to be completed. Nearly half of the 13-mile toll road is currently under construction.

The contract was awarded to Granite Construction Co./J.D. Abrams, limited partnership, which submitted a bid that was 23 percent below the state's estimate.
Including this contract, all four, low-bid construction contracts awarded to date on the Central Texas Turnpike Project have been below the state's estimate.

The SH 45 North is part of the first phase of the Central Texas Turnpike Project, which also includes the extension of Loop 1 and the northern 49 miles of SH 130. The entire turnpike project is scheduled for completion by December 2007.

Construction of the CTTP is also under way at the Loop 1 extension, SH 45/Loop 1 interchange, and other sections of SH 45 North.

Three additional construction contracts for the turnpike project are scheduled to be awarded within the next year.

ASCE Calls for Action on Failing Infrastructure

The American Society of Civil Engineers, Washington, D.C., recently called for the formation of a presidential commission on infrastructure to address the deteriorating conditions of our nation's roads, bridges, drinking water systems, schools and other public works.

The call for action was announced as the group released its 2003 Progress Report for America's infrastructure. The report reveals that little has improved since the nation's infrastructure received an overall D+ on ASCE's 2001 Report Card for America's infrastructure, with the price tag for infrastructure renewal escalating from $1.3 trillion over a five-year period in 2001 to $1.6 trillion over a five-year period.

In the mid-80's, President Ronald Reagan appointed a commission to study and report the state of the nation's infrastructure. The commission concluded that the state of America's infrastructure was a "C" in their 1988 report, Fragile Foundations: A Report on America's Infrastructure, firing the first public warnings that America's infrastructure was in decline.

For more information, including local infrastructure conditions and state infrastructure statistics, check the ASCE Web site at http://www.asce.org/reportcard.

$31.4 In Grants Awarded to Texas

Under a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and Federal Highway Administration initiative, Texas was awarded $31.4 million in grants to help ensure the safe operation of Mexican commercial motor vehicles that operate in the United States and to help improve traffic flow at U.S.-Mexico border crossings. The funds will be used to build and improve safety inspection facilities.

The objective of the requirement in the border infrastructure program for construction of state border safety inspection facilities at the United States/Mexico border is twofold: the safe operation of Mexico-domiciled commercial motor vehicles operating in the United States and improved traffic flow at border crossings. Construction and improvements to these facilities will increase the number of commercial motor vehicle inspections that can be conducted at the border.

The federal government contributes 100 percent of the project cost. FHWA is the administering agency for these funds.