Williams Brothers Construction achieved substantial completion of the Texas Department of Transportation's (TxDOT) $141 million Interstate 10 Brookshire Project approximately 40 mi. west of Houston.

The project widened the interstate in the city of Brookshire, updated frontage roads and rebuilt bridges over the Brazos River to improve mobility by increasing capacity for the traffic in and out of the metro area.

TXDOT photo

As the project neared completion, crews installed sidewalk and curb ramps, signs, high-mast illumination, rumble strips, driveways and sodding, while placing the final striping, taking care of the grading and pavement edge shouldering, completing the general project cleanup and dealing with punch-list items.

"We are making travel times safer and much more efficient for industry and everyday highway users," TxDOT Commissioner Steven Alvis said at the project's ribbon-cutting ceremony.

TxDOT Executive Director Marc Williams noted: "The population growth and real estate development west of Houston in Katy and beyond has been very rapid, causing congestion on I-10."

The area is home to more than 30 million residents. I-10 serves as a major evacuation route for hurricanes.

The work, which began in July 2017, covered 6 mi. between Farm-to-Market 359 and the Brazos River. Crews widened the freeway from two lanes in each direction to three and, in some sections, four lanes; improved overpasses at FM 359, Farm-to-Market 1489, Donigan Road and Peach Ridge; and replaced more than 16 outdated bridges, including two over protected wetlands.

This Texas Clear Lanes project was financed by state and federal government funds.

"Congestion was low to moderate prior to the work," said Kris Hadley, a spokesperson for TxDOT's Houston District, who noted that before the project, average daily traffic was 43,000 vehicles. The widening permits the section of roadway to meet a projected 62,000 vehicles daily in 2040.

The project was designed by TXDOT.

"Accommodating local growth, which required revised traffic control plans and adjustments to construction limits, was a challenge," said Hadley, who pointed out that the lifespan of the new infrastructure is 25-plus years. "The design facilitated the construction according to manageable construction sequences that minimized disruption to the user, using adjacent/available roadways."

The traffic management plan was based on lane closures, detours and some project-specific traffic control plans related to the duration/complexity of the work. Hadley stated that the plan was successful, but that motorists did not slow down in the construction zone.

TXDOT photo

The construction process did have its hurdles.

"The wetlands between the east- and west-bound main lanes presented a challenge," said Hadley, "as did the temporary structures and assisting the local municipality with their underground utility improvement work."

Crews were on site seven days a week.

"Certain construction operations were allowed to occur at night," said Hadley, "such as the opening of an on- or off-ramp."

Fortunately for the work crews, the project did not have any water, utility or soil issues.

The new concrete mainlines, along with new shoulders within city limits, were placed in a large median area. Crews were protected by K-rail as the work advanced.

"Crews worked on both sides of the median simultaneously," said Hadley, who noted that drainage infrastructure was added as they proceeded.

Excavation, site prep and paving crews operated simultaneously. Once the excavation was done, site prep crews installed the rebar. Under one bridge, a concrete mix truck poured concrete into sections. Crews paved one lane at a time, giving newly paved sections time to cure.

The frontage roads are a combination of concrete lanes with an asphalt overlay. Several sections of the frontage roads were bounded by trees on both sides.

TXDOT photo

Paving machines, operating on closed sections of road, placed concrete on an area covering two lanes, sometimes at night to take advantage of the cooler temperatures.

For both the main lanes and frontage roads, as well as the bridges, equipment operators used cranes, loaders, bulldozers, maintainers, rollers, concrete pavers, bridge bidwells and various dump trucks.

At times, several overpasses were worked on simultaneously. Crews would complete half of an underpass, then take on the other side.

The average length of the underpasses was 150 ft. Sixty-plus-ft. concrete beams were placed by cranes to create the substructure. Once in place, the concrete deck was poured.

"The plan of attack was to build them safely and per plan," said Hadley, "unless a legitimate, safe and cost-effective alternative was authored and agreed to by TXDOT and the contractor."

The two-span overpasses crossing I-10 are supported by three wide pillars capped with a concrete pier.

Williams Brothers had a considerable number of its personnel, as well as those from its subcontractors, on site.

The subcontractors included Allstate Signal & Construction LLC, Professional Traffic Control LLC, Roadway Specialties Inc., Texas Environmental Management — San Antonio Inc., Brooklyn Sweeps Inc., Highway Pavement Specialties Inc., Scott Derr Painting Co. LLC, Vaca Underground Utilities Inc. and Area Wide Protective Inc.

Other subcontractors included Bay City Traffic, Roadway Construction Inc., CPAVE Inc., Shaw Drilling LLC, LG & G Construction Co., P&Z Logistics Inc., West Texas Rock Resources LLC, Batten Drilling LLC, Sweeping Corp. of America LLC, SK Concrete Services LLC, Chiron Communications Services LLC, A-Core Concrete Cutting of Texas Inc. and Ashton Sawing and Drilling LLC. CEG