The Texas Department of Transportation's (TxDOT) $128 million two-segment Farm-to-Market 1960 widening project in the Lake Houston area is rapidly nearing completion, with crews completing punch list tasks.
The project is designed to ease congestion, improve traffic flow and increase capacity for an area experiencing population growth and commercial development.
Webber photo
The initiative widened several miles of FM 1960 from a four-lane asphalt roadway to a six-lane divided concrete roadway with raised medians, curb and gutter, channelized left-turn lanes and a 5-ft. sidewalk on both sides of the roadway.
Segment A, $58.2 million, was awarded to Texas Materials Group (formerly Angel Brothers Holding Corp). Its section covers from Business FM 1960 to east of Twigsworth Lane. Crews are now going through the punch list.
Ferrovial's Webber LLC secured the $70 million contract for Segment B. This nearly 3-mi. segment stretches from east of Twigsworth Lane to the western approach of the McKay Bridge at Lake Houston and includes the construction of a new 2,000-ft.-long concrete overpass bridge across Atascocita Road, West Lake Houston Parkway and Farmingham Road.
Construction for Segment B began in January 2023 and was completed in the winter of 2025.
The three signalized intersections featuring updated signals were reopened to traffic on Nov. 21, 2025.
I.S. Engineering designed the project.
Webber photo
"The challenge was to design traffic control plans that would allow construction of the overpass bridge while maintaining traffic on the three major intersections at Atascocita Road, West Lake Houston Parkway and Farmingham Road," said Will Bradley, a Webber project manager, adding that the lifespan of the new bridge and concrete lanes is 100 years.
The traffic management plan for both segments was based on temporary lane closures and detours.
"[It did not work as planned, as] the project took longer than scheduled due to multiple factors, including utilities relocation," said Bambi Hall, a TxDOT spokesperson for southeast Houston/northern Harris County, told Construction Equipment Guide. "For the FM 1960 project, TxDOT coordinated closely with the contractor through approved traffic control plans, defined access points and off‑peak scheduling of deliveries to safely move materials and equipment in and out of the work zone while minimizing traffic impacts."
The work on both segments encountered a variety of challenges.
Unknown Contamination Encountered
Webber photo
"The most significant issue encountered during the project was the discovery of contaminated soil in one of the detention ponds, which was not identified in the original project plans," Hall said. "This location lies within the historic Humble Oil Field dating back to the early 1900s, and the contamination consisted of residual petroleum that had been present for nearly a century.
"TxDOT's Environmental Division in Austin stepped in to develop and implement a mitigation plan to safely remove and manage the impacted soil. Environmental testing confirmed that most volatile compounds had dissipated over time, reducing the severity of the contamination; however, the condition still required specialized handling and coordination to ensure regulatory compliance."
Utility relocation proved challenging.
"One of the first steps on the FM 1960 project involved relocating utilities to allow construction to begin on schedule," Hall said. "As work progressed, previously unknown petroleum pipelines were discovered, which required additional coordination with utility companies for relocation and adjustment. These unforeseen conditions resulted in significant delays to the project.
"Due to utility relocation activities, the project's traffic control plan was modified at the direction of the area engineer responsible for construction oversight. This modification provided the contractor with additional work areas and improved flexibility to continue construction activities. This mitigation strategy proved effective and helped minimize further delays to the project. Utility conflicts were among the primary challenges encountered during the project; however, the most significant issue involved contaminated soil discovered in one of the detention ponds that was not identified in the original project plans.
As part of the FM 1960 construction project, TxDOT implemented 11‑ft. travel lanes in some work zones to balance safety, mobility and construction needs within a constrained corridor.
Webber photo
"The reduced lane widths allowed TxDOT to maintain traffic flow while creating the necessary space for construction activities behind protected barriers," Hall said. "The 11-ft. lanes meet established safety standards for urban work zones and are commonly used on major roadway projects when space is limited. Their use on FM 1960 helped avoid additional lane closures, which could have caused greater congestion and delays for drivers."
Crews have worked around the clock.
"To help accelerate construction and reduce the overall project timeline, the contractor performed work during daytime hours, as well as nights and weekends," Hall said. "This extended work schedule allowed critical activities to move forward while helping minimize impacts to daily traffic along FM 1960."
Safety First
Progress on the widening and reconstruction work depended on several factors.
"The plan of attack focused on maintaining traffic mobility while advancing construction in a safe and organized manner," Hall said. "TxDOT and the contractors began by addressing utility relocations and known conflicts to prepare the corridor for major roadway work. Construction was then executed in phases, allowing work to progress segment-by-segment while minimizing impacts to drivers, nearby businesses and the surrounding community.
"Traffic control plans were adjusted as needed to provide safe work areas and maintain the flow of traffic. When unforeseen conditions arose — such as utility conflicts or contaminated soil — TxDOT coordinated quickly with environmental specialists and project partners to develop solutions and keep the project moving forward. Throughout the project, close coordination, flexibility and a strong focus on safety guided decision‑making, allowing TxDOT and the contractors to respond effectively to challenges and continue progress toward project completion."
Done in Phases
"In several areas of the FM 1960 project, construction followed a phased approach," Hall said. "New lanes were built first where space allowed, after which traffic was shifted onto those newly completed lanes. This allowed crews to reconstruct the existing lanes in stages, typically working on two lanes at a time. This approach helped maintain traffic flow during construction while providing safer, more efficient work zones and minimizing disruptions to drivers and nearby businesses."
Due to low posted speed limits, TxDOT used low‑profile barriers instead of full K‑rail barriers in certain areas of the project to separate workers from live traffic.
Webber photo
"Other devices, such as channelizing drums, cones and pavement markings," Hall said, "were also used to clearly guide drivers and maintain safe separation between live traffic and construction activity while allowing traffic to continue moving through the work zone."
Excavation, site preparation and concrete work were completed in phases.
"Drainage infrastructure was installed in phases as the new lanes were constructed," Hall said. "This work included placing storm drainage systems and detention ponds early in the construction process to manage runoff and ensure the project area could drain properly throughout each phase of construction."
For Segment B, Webber brought in a concrete batch plant to supply concrete for the road and associated bridge work. Standard equipment was used throughout both segments for the earthwork, site prep and concrete placement.
The bridge over Atascocita Road, West Lake Houston Parkway and Farmingham Road was built between March 2023 and May 2024. It was an entirely new structure.
One aspect of construction planning involved the project team revising the traffic control plans and combining Phases 2 and 3.
"This allowed the construction of the overpass and the eastbound lanes to be done simultaneously, minimizing the impact to the traveling public by reducing the overall project schedule," Bradley said. "The four existing asphalt lanes were demolished and replaced with six concrete lanes (three in each direction). The overpass was added so that non-local traffic could bypass three signalized intersections, freeing up the at-grade lanes for local traffic.
"There was a major petroleum pipeline running underground along a significant portion of the project. This created an impact to the project's schedule as the pipeline relocation was delayed. The project team modified the traffic control plans and was able to mitigate a portion of the impact caused by the delayed utility relocation."
The overpass was built from a combination of prestressed U54 concrete girders and steel trapezoidal girders across the longer spans at each of the three major intersections.
The bridge construction required drilling.
"The overpass bridge consisted of a series of 36- and 54-in.-diameter drilled shafts ranging in length from 60 to 100 ft. deep," Bradley said.
Webber equipment operators used a pair of 300-ton crawler cranes to place the concrete and steel girders.
On both project segments, average days had multiple crews from Webber and Texas Materials Group working, along with subcontractor personnel.
Webber and Texas Materials Group both bought and rented equipment from local and regional dealerships. CEG
