Texas 13 2016

By Chuck HarveyCEG CORRESPONDENT

Construction is under way on a $330million Texas State Highway 360South project that will add lanes to thehighway stretching 9.7 mi. (15.6 km)from 2 mi. (3.2 km) south of I-20 inArlington, south to U.S. 287 in EllisCounty.The project is overseen by a public-

private partnership between the TexasDepartment of Transportation, theNorth Texas Tollway Authority and theNorth Central Texas Council ofGovernments.Initial work on the project will fea-

ture construction of two toll lanes ineach direction starting near East SublettRoad and West Camp Wisdom Roadand stretching south to U.S. 287. A lit-tle more than half of the highway hastwo existing frontage road lanes in eachdirection. The remainder is onefrontage road lane in each direction.Most of the highway is in TarrantCounty.By late 2017, SH 360 will have two

frontage road lanes and two toll lanesin each direction for the entire projectlength. The ultimate (second-phase)plan is to have three to four toll lanes ineach direction.No funding plan is in place for the

ultimate construction phase, but theestimated cost for this phase is $604million.In addition to added lanes, initial

plans call for intersection and frontageroad improvements. The project willadd bridges on U.S. 287 northboundand southbound over SH 360.Currently U.S. 287 and SH 360

intersect and traffic is controlled by sig-nals at the intersection. After comple-tion of the bridges, the traffic signals

will be removed.Planners estimate 2.5 million cu.

yds. (1.9 million cu m) of earth will bemoved to prepare for the SH 360 roadimprovements and 200,000 cu. yds.(152,910 cu m) of dirt will need to bebrought in. Crews will apply 235,000cu. yds. (179,670 cu m) of concrete topave the roads.TxDOT is financing and overseeing

construction of the project before turn-ing the roadway over to the NorthTexas Tollway Authority. Toll revenueswould then be used to reimburseTxDOT and for NTTA to maintain andoperate the toll highway.The North Central Texas Council of

Governments’ Regional TransportationCommission provided financial assis-tance for the project.Substantial completion of the initial

work is expected by late 2017. Theproject is expected to provide neededsafety improvements, congestion relief

and economic development benefits.“This project has been on the books

for some time and interest in the prop-erty surrounding the project has contin-ued to build,” said Keith Bilbrey, 360South Project public information coor-dinator. “We have heard reports for allthe municipal agencies involved thateconomic growth is expected to blos-som as the project continues and reach-es completion.”Current work includes excavation

and placement of embankments for theroadway, along with installation of drillshafts, extensions for bridges, drainagesystems, temporary detours and bentcap. A bent cap is two or more pilesdriven in a row transverse to the longdimension of the structure and fastenedtogether by capping.Equipment at the construction site

includes excavators, bulldozers, load-ers, mixers, off-road dump trucks and

Construction Under Way on $330MState Highway 360 South Project

TEXAS STATE EDITION A Supplement to:

Your Texas Connection • Dale Agnew, Carrollton, TX • 1-877-877-4997

Initial work on the project will feature construction of two toll lanes ineach direction starting near East Sublett Road and West Camp WisdomRoad and stretching south to U.S. 287.

®

“The Nation’s Best Read Construction Newspaper… Founded in 1957.”

June 262016

Vol. I • No. 13

Construction Up,Demolition Downin Houston AreaBy Amy McCaigSPECIAL TO CEG

Construction in Harris County has far outpaceddemolition over the last 10 years, according to a newreport from Rice University’s Kinder Institute forUrban Research.“Houston in Flux: Understanding a Decade of

Bayou City Development” analyzes how new con-struction and demolition varied, intersected anddiverged in Harris County between 2005 and 2015.The report spotlights the effects of economic boomsand busts, draws attention to the spaces where devel-opment pressures are most extreme or nonexistent andhighlights instances of communities rising or beingremade within a decade. Redevelopment, preservationand gentrification can be visualized on the interactiveonline component accompanying the report.During the research process, report authors Kelsey

Walker, a postbaccalaureate fellow at the KinderInstitute, and Kyle Shelton, program manager for theKinder Institute’s Urban Development, Transportationand Placemaking program, used data from the HarrisCounty Appraisal District (including building and per-mit records). The researchers sorted each census tractinto one of four groups (high-turnover, demolition-intensive, construction-intensive and low-turnover)and then analyzed tracts in each of these categories.The report’s key finding revealed that at the county

level, new construction far outpaces demolition. At theend of 2015, 15 percent of properties in Harris Countycontained buildings constructed since 2005, while only1.7 percent of properties had a demolition permit dur-ing that time period.The researchers also found that the area between

State Highway 6-Farm-to-Market Road (FM) 1960and the Grand Parkway has the highest percentage ofconstruction sites in Harris County — 37.4 percent —followed by the area between Beltway 8 and State

see HOUSTON page 22

see HIGHWAY page 20

• June 26, 2016 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • Texas State Supplement • Construction Equipment Guide

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The Texas Section of the American Society of CivilEngineers (ASCE) has endorsed a high-speed rail projectthat it said will create jobs, generate development and helpsustain Texas’s “quality of life and economic vitality.” The group, which represents more than 9,000 engineers in

15 regional branches, unanimously passed a resolution lastmonth that said it “strongly supports” the North Texas-to-Houston passenger line being privately developed by TexasCentral. The vote from one of the ASCE’s largest and most active

sections is the latest sign of the growing momentum for theproject. “ASCE is the latest organization formally supporting the

high-speed rail project,” said Tim Keith, CEO of TexasCentral. “Texans want a choice in how they travel andASCE’s membership is uniquely qualified to support thisproject that will provide widespread economic benefits andmake a significant difference in reducing traffic congestion.” The project already has more than 100 engineers working

on what will be the country’s first high-speed rail system. “To ensure Texas remains an economic and technological

powerhouse well into the 21st Century, we need to lead thenation with transformational projects like high-speed rail. Weare excited about the possibilities that high-speed rail willbring to our state and look forward to supporting this pri-vately developed project through its 2 completion,” saidAudra N. Morse, president of the ASCE Texas section. The ASCE Texas Section noted that the Texas project will

not take public money for its operations. And, the resolutionsaid, it is expected to create 10,000 full-time constructionjobs each year during the anticipated four-year constructionperiod, and 1,000 full-time jobs after the system goes intofull service. Also, taxing entities along the route would receive an esti-

mated $2.5 billion in property taxes over 25 years from TexasCentral because of the new infrastructure along the 240-mi.(386 km) route. The ASCE group, which promotes civil engineering

excellence, recognized Texas’s history as a leader in trans-portation and saluted the Texas rail’s technology, based onthe Central Japan Railway Co.’s “Shinkansen” system. Thistechnology has been refined over more than 50 years of oper-ation into the most reliable, comfortable and safe high-speedrail system in the world. The train will allow commuters to travel between North

Texas and Houston in 90 minutes. Today it can take morethan four hours and with the growth in the state expected todouble by 2035, that time is projected to grow to 6.5 hours.

(This story also can be found on ConstructionEquipment Guide’s website at www.constructionequip-

mentguide.com.)

Job Creator…

ASCE EndorsesTexas High-SpeedRail Project

TxDOT, Blanco County CelebrateRM 165 Bridge Project CompletionThe Texas Department of

Transportation joined officials fromBlanco County as they celebrated thecompletion of the RM 165 bridgereplacement project over the BlancoRiver with a ribbon cutting ceremony.The $1.3 million project replaced the

RM 165 bridge, which was destroyedin the 2015 Memorial Day floods. Thenew bridge is 42-ft. (12.8 m) wide, withtwo 12-ft. (3.6 m) travel lanes, one ineach direction, and 8-ft. (2.4 m) shoul-ders. The project began in December2015 and was completed in May 2016.The new bridge design includes anenhanced substructure, so it is strongerand safer than the previous bridge.The contractor for the project was

Capital Excavation Company.Blanco County Judge Brett Bray

said, “RM 165 is a vital artery forBlanco County and the citizens whodrive this area every day. I am thankfulto the area’s first responders for theirwork to keep citizens safe after the RM165 bridge washed out and I appreciatethe work of TxDOT and CapitalExcavation for their quick work to getthis route reopened.”Blanco County Precinct 4

Commissioner Paul Granberg said,“My first job as a newly-elected coun-ty commissioner was to get the right-of-way for this project to build the orig-inal RM 165 bridge in 1991. Nobodyever thought we’d have an issue with

flood waters on this bridge, but shortlyafter opening it, water almost over-topped it. To everyone's dismay, lastyear, the bridge was completelywashed out. I’m glad the RM 165bridge over the Blanco River has beenrebuilt and is structurally safer andmore secure than ever.”Blanco County Mayor M. Bruce

Peele stated, “Blanco is open for busi-ness. We’ve been open for business fora while, so I’m excited to see thechangeable message signs removedsaying the RM 165 route is closed andto start letting drivers use this newlyreopened bridge again. Hopefully, we'llnever have to deal with this bridgeflooding again. I appreciate the work of

TxDOT and Capital Excavation to getthe new, stronger RM 165 bridgeopen.”Austin District Engineer Terry

McCoy said, “Today is a day to cele-brate as we reopen the RM 165 bridgeover the Blanco River after beingdestroyed by flood waters in May2015. The great partnership betweenBlanco County, our contractor, andTxDOT made today possible. I appre-ciate everyone’s hard work, dedicationand patience over the past year as thenew $1.3 million bridge was rebuilt.”

(This story also can be found onConstruction Equipment Guide’s web-site at www.constructionequipment-guide.com.)

The Texas Department of Transportation joined officials from Blanco County as they celebrated the completionof the RM 165 bridge replacement project over the Blanco River with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

The $1.3 million project replaced the RM 165 bridge, which was destroyedin the 2015 Memorial Day floods.


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According to parties involved,Garney Construction, a Kansas City,Mo.-based company and Abengoahave reached an agreement to allowGarney to purchase 80 percent of theVista Ridge Project, reducing the roleof Abengoa to a silent 20 percent equi-ty partner in the project.As granted within the original con-

tract unanimously approved by CityCouncil in 2014, SAWS retains rightof final approval of this change.Throughout this process, San AntonioWater System (SAWS) has mandatedany partners to this project must abideby existing covenants in the originalcontract, developed as a result of thepublicly held negotiations. Garney Construction is a welcome

and familiar face to SAWS as theyhave developed a more than 30-yearrelationship with the San Antoniowater utility, performing more than

$156 million in major projects includ-ing: SAWS Aquifer Storage andRecovery (ASR), the Local CarrizoAquifer project and SAWS water recy-cling pipeline. They are currently building a 28-mi.

(45 km) integration pipeline, whichwill bring water from the desalinationand ASR plants throughout the southand west sides of San Antonio. Garney also is named in the original

Vista Ridge contract as the project con-struction firm.Robert R. Puente, president/CEO of

SAWS said that the new leadership is apositive step in the progression of theVista Ridge project. “GarneyConstruction has a strong history withSAWS and has been involved in thisproject since the beginning. In steppingup to the lead position, Garney bringsunparalleled continuity and skill to thetable.”

“Garney’s extensive local experi-ence and strong local relationships willhelp us move forward with this impor-tant project,” commented Mayor IvyTaylor. “Failure to secure our waterfuture is our biggest risk, and VistaRidge is a key component of our planto diversify and expand our water sup-ply.”Consideration by the SAWS Board

of Trustees of the proposal could comelater this spring, and although this rep-resents no material change to the con-tract, SAWS will continue to engagethe public and City Council throughpresentations and public meetings tofamiliarize the community and answerany questions that may come up.

(This story also can be found on

Construction Equipment Guide’s Web

site at www.constructionequipment-

guide.com.)

Garney Construction to Assume LeadRole of SAWS’ Vista Ridge Project

Gov. Greg Abbott announced that SATA Group, a high-tech components manufacturer, will be constructing a newmachine plant in Brownsville, Texas. This project is expect-ed to create 300 jobs and generate $114 million in capitalinvestment in the Texas economy. A Texas Enterprise Fund(TEF) offer of $1.8 million has been extended to SATAGroup.“Texas continues to be an economic powerhouse thanks

to an environment and government that encourages businessgrowth by limiting taxes, regulations and bureaucracy,” saidAbbott. “I am proud that SATA Group has chosen to expandin the Rio Grande Valley, bringing high-quality jobs to aregion that is vital to the growth of our state. The best thinga government can do to create jobs and prosperity is get outof the way of employers, and as Governor, I will continue topursue policies that do just that.”“Our level of quality and superior manufacturing produc-

tivity created a global demand for our machined productsand services,” said Pietro Cinotto, vice president of SATAUSA. “It grew to the point where it made sense for us toenter the North American market and that’s whenBrownsville, Texas, came into our site selection process. Theoverwhelming support helped us make the decision to settlein Brownsville.”“In the long term, the SATA development will be the

anchor for the North Brownsville Heavy ManufacturingCampus, which will become a major economic pillar forSouth Texas,” said Jason Hilts, president and CEO of theBrownsville Economic Development Council. “This major

development perfectly aligned with our vision of transform-ing Brownsville into an advanced manufacturing hub andhotbed for suppliers.”

North Brownsville Heavy ManufacturingCampus Facts

• 350-acre development on newly designated Interstate169• Will integrate industry via private enterprise, the public

sector, the university system, community college and tech-nical training facilities within the campus• Will house a vertically-integrated machining-foundry-

forging operation by 2020• Plans to include an aluminum die cast operation, large

plastic injection molder, distribution center and apprentice-ship training center with an emphasis on machinists• Development has potential to create 4,000 jobs in a 10-

year periodThe Texas Legislature created the TEF in 2003 and reau-

thorized funding in 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013 and 2015to help attract new companies to Texas and expand existingbusinesses to create more jobs throughout the State. TEFprojects must be approved by the governor, lieutenant gov-ernor and speaker of the House. The fund has since becomeone of the state’s most competitive economic developmenttools.

(This story also can be found on ConstructionEquipment Guide’s website at www.constructionequip-mentguide.com.)

Gov. Announces New SATA GroupConstruction Project in Brownsville

JACKSONVILLE, Texas (AP) The U.S. Army Corps ofEngineers has withdrawn a request for a federal permit tobuild an East Texas reservoir that’s been in the works fornearly 40 years.The Corps withdrew the permit application for the pro-

posed $387 million Lake Columbia Regional Water SupplyReservoir Project in April. Corps officials cited relative inac-tivity since 2013 in the project managed by the Lufkin-basedAngelina and Neches River Authority, according to TheLufkin News.Lake Columbia is proposed for the Mud Creek flood

plain, a tributary of the Angelina River, with the dam about5 mi. (8 km) southeast of Jacksonville. ANRA in 1978 beganplanning what was then informally called Mud CreekReservoir.

ANRA’s general manager, Kelley Holcomb, remains opti-mistic about the project and says “in no way is this the end.”The ANRA will reply to the Corps within the 90-day win-dow with requested documentation about the plans, accord-ing to Holcomb.In a letter dated April 14, Stephen Brooks, chief of the reg-

ulatory division of the Corps’ Fort Worth district, notifiedANRA of the application withdrawal, citing “relative inac-tivity of the project for more than three years.” Brooks alsostated that the data collected and developed for the projectarea was considered “stale.”ANRA submitted the application for the permit on Oct.

31, 2000. The agency has spent about $3.9 million to addressthe Corps’ permitting and National Environmental PolicyAct requirements, according to an April 20 response letter tothe Corps from Holcomb.“What’s most critical at this point is getting the Corps of

Engineers to rescind its decision to withdraw the applica-tion,” Holcomb said.Lake Columbia is a recommended water supply strategy

in the 2007 State Water Plan and the 2006 Regional WaterPlan, according to ANRA.For more information, visit

http://www.lufkindailynews.com.(This story also can be found on Construction

Equipment Guide’s website at www.constructionequip-mentguide.com.)

Permit RequestDropped for EastTexas Reservoir

“What’s most critical at this pointis getting the Corps of Engineersto rescind its decision to withdrawthe application.”

Kelley HolcombAngelina and Neches River Authority


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Denton…

Kirby-Smith Assists With 2016 TxSWANA Road-E-O EventThe city of Denton, Texas, host-

ed the 2016 TxSWANA Road-E-Oat the city landfill, and Kirby-Smith Machinery Inc., was there toensure that its long-time customer’sevent was a successful one. Kirby-Smith sponsored the

event’s opening reception and alsoactively participated in the eventitself, with four Kirby-Smithemployees from three branchesvolunteering to serve as judges inthe landfill equipment category. TxSWANA is the Lone Star

chapter of the Solid WasteAssociation of North America(SWANA). TxSWANA is made upof more than 400 individual mem-bers from various areas of theSolid Waste Industry. Each yearthe organization hosts an equip-ment “road-e-o” for its memberswith various equipment competi-tions across landfill equipment,mechanic and truck categories.Winners at this year’s TxSWANARoad-E-O earn the right to com-pete at the International SWANARoad-E-O in Dublin, Ga. Kirby-Smith has several cus-

tomers who actively participate inTxSWANA’s Road-E-O each year,including the city of Denton andthe city of Dallas.

The city of Denton has pur-chased several pieces of KomatsuTier IV Interim equipment fromKirby-Smith in recent years,including a D65EX-17 bulldozer,HM400-3 articulated truck,PC490LC-10 excavator and a con-verted Komatsu articulated truckequipped with an 8000-gal.(30,283 L) water tank. Hosting the event allowed

Denton the opportunity to put itsKirby-Smith equipment on displayand to allow operators from allover the state to get in the cab and

experience Komatsu for them-selves. Two equipment pieces fromthe city’s package of Komatsuequipment, the D65EX17 bulldoz-er and an HM400-3 articulatedtruck, were used in the Road-E-Ocompetition. The event proved to be a tri-

umph for TxSWANA with

Denton, Dallas, Irving, El Paso,Lubbock, Abilene, Houston, SanAntonio and Plano participating inthe competition.

(This story also can be foundon Construction EquipmentGuide’s website at www.con-structionequipmentguide.com.)CEG

Tadano America Expands Sales Team With New GMHouston, Texas-based Tadano America

has added Ken Butz as its general managerof sales. Butz is an industry veteran withmore than 30 years of crane sales and sup-port experience. “Throughout his career Ken has been

skilled at building and developing successfulchannels of sales for crane products. Hisindustry knowledge and experience areexactly what Tadano needs to grow our busi-ness in the North American market,“ statedJay Shiffler, executive vice president ofTadano America. “We are very pleased tohave him on board.“Most recently, Butz served as regional

business manager for Manitowoc Cranes. “Tadano is well positioned to grow mar-

ket share with their full line of rough terrainand all terrain cranes,“ said Butz.“Throughout North America Tadano’s qual-ity products are being recognized as anexcellent investment and I look forward to

the opportunity to lead the sales organiza-tion.” said Butz.

About Tadano AmericaCorporation

Established in 1993 in Houston, Texas,Tadano America Corporation is the base forsales of rough-terrain cranes and all-terraincranes for the North American market.Tadano America has customer service officelocations located in Houston, Texas andEdmonton, Alberta, providing direct-to-cus-tomer product support. Tadano’s corporateoffice, located in Houston has 46,000 sq. ft.(14,021 sq m) of warehouse space for partsand storage. Tadano’s products are availablethrough a broad network of dealers, agentsand partnerships. Tadano AmericaCorporation is a subsidiary of Tadano Ltd.

(This story also can be found onConstruction Equipment Guide’s website atwww.constructionequipmentguide.com.)

Houston, Texas-based Tadano America has added Ken Butz as its general manag-er of sales.

This Komatsu HM400-3 articulated truck, provided by the city ofDenton, was used in the Road-E-O competition.

The city of Denton provided equipment for the Road-E-O compe-tition, including this Komatsu D65EX-17 bulldozer.


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Out of the Heat…

Rangers Plan New $1 BillionRetractable-Roof StadiumARLINGTON, Texas (AP) The Texas

Rangers could be playing in a new $1 billionretractable-roof stadium by 2021 and wouldremain in Arlington until at least 2054 underplans revealed May 17 by the team and thecity.The proposed master agreement for a pub-

lic-private partnership calls for a 50-50 splitof the estimated cost of the stadium andrelated infrastructure, with the city’s portioncapped at $500 million. The Arlington CityCouncil unanimously approved the measure,and it will now be up to voters to decide inNovember.“The Rangers and Arlington have enjoyed

a great partnership for 45 years, and we areexcited about the possibility of calling thiscity home for many years to come,” Rangersco-chairman Ray Davis said. “A baseballpark is a very special place and the Rangersare committed to providing the best possibleexperience for our fans. The construction ofa new facility with a retractable roof and somany other amenities would allow us toenhance that experience in a manner that isnot presently possible.”Arlington voters in November will be

asked to support the project by continuingexisting sales taxes that are used to help payfor $1.2 billion AT&T Stadium, the next-door home of the Dallas Cowboys that has aretractable roof.The city originally issued $298 million in

bonds in 2005 to build the Cowboys’ stadi-um, which since opening in 2009 has hostedevents such as the Super Bowl, the firstCollege Football Playoff national champi-onship game and the NCAA Final Four.Davis said putting a roof on Globe Life

Park, which opened in 1994 as RangersBallpark in Arlington, would be too expen-sive.The city has begun taking the steps

required for an election in November thatasks voters to extend existing funding mech-anisms that would provide the public financ-ing for construction of a new ballpark.The Rangers’ 30-year lease on the city-

owned Globe Life Park is set to end in 2024.Under the new proposed master agreement,the Rangers’ partnership with Arlingtonwould extend until January 1, 2054.“The Texas Rangers are a part of our fab-

ric, a part of our DNA,” Arlington MayorJeff Williams said. “The City Council and I

have heard the message loud and clear: ourcitizens want the Texas Rangers to stay inArlington. No doubt any city would want theRangers. We want to be proactive and con-tinue this 45-year relationship, which hasbeen so successful for us, for the team andthe North Texas region.”In 1991, voters approved a half-cent sales

tax to help construct the Rangers’ currenthome. That sales tax went away after thecity’s $135 million debt on the ballpark waspaid off in 2001, a decade earlier than sched-uled.

Before moving into their current home,the Rangers spent their first 22 seasons at oldArlington Stadium.Arlington voters in 2004 approved a half-

cent sales tax, a 5 percent car rental tax anda 2 percent hotel occupancy tax to help pub-licly finance the Cowboys’ stadium.The city and the Rangers recently reached

an agreement on another public-private part-nership, with Arlington agreeing to pay $50million toward a project that will include100,000 sq. ft. (9,290 sq m) of restaurant, barand retail space, 35,000 sq. ft. (3,252 sq m)of convention space and plans for a 300-bed,high-rise luxury hotel to be built directlyacross from Globe Life Park.

(This story also can be found onConstruction Equipment Guide’s website atwww.constructionequipmentguide.com.)

“The Rangers andArlington have enjoyeda great partnership for45 years, and we are

excited about the possibility of calling this

city home for manyyears to come.”

Ray DavisTexas Rangers


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Climate Change, Over Development Worsen Houston Floods By Frank Bajak and SethBorenstein ASSOCIATED PRESS

HOUSTON (AP) With clay soiland tabletop-flat terrain, Houstonhas endured flooding for genera-tions. Its 1,700 mi. (2,736 km) ofman-made channels struggle todispatch storm runoff to the Gulf ofMexico.Now the nation’s fourth-largest

city is being overwhelmed withmore frequent and more destruc-tive floods. The latest calamityoccurred April 18, killing eightpeople and causing tens of millionsof dollars in damage. The worsen-ing floods aren’t simple acts ofnature or just costly local concerns.Federal taxpayers get soaked too.Extreme downpours have dou-

bled in frequency over the pastthree decades, climatologists say,in part because of global warming.The other main culprit is unre-strained development in the onlymajor U.S. city without zoningrules. That combination meansmore pavement and deeper flood-waters. Critics blame cozy rela-tions between developers and localleaders for inadequate flood-pro-tection measures.An Associated Press analysis of

government data found that ifHarris County, which includesHouston, were a state it would rankin the top five or six in every cate-gory of repeat federal flood losses— defined as any property withtwo or more losses in a 10-yearperiod amounting to at least $1,000each.Since 1998, the Federal

Emergency Management Agencyhas paid more than $3 billion intoday’s dollars for flood losses inmetropolitan Houston.While repeat federal flood relief

payouts average about $3,000 persquare mile nationally, they arenearly half a million dollars persquare mile in metro Houston. Sixof Texas’ eight federally declareddisasters since December 2013included floods.“Houston has always had a

flood problem, and the growth inthe paving has only made itworse,” Craig Fugate, FEMAdirector said. When the best build-ing and land-use practices aren’tfollowed, “we see the costs of dis-asters go up.”Metro Houston, which includes

smaller communities and unincor-porated parts of Harris County, has

added more than a million peoplesince 1992, while the amount ofwater-absorbing wetlands per capi-ta has been halved. Paved surfacesin the county increased by wellover 25 percent in that period,according to researchers.Paved land generates five times

more runoff than woodlands.“There’s basically very little

control of development,” saidSusan Cutter, director of theHazards and VulnerabilityResearch Institute at the Universityof South Carolina.Since the 1980s, Houston’s pre-

ferred approach to flood control,besides improving drainage, hasbeen to build thousands of deten-tion ponds, concrete-lined poolsthat capture stormwater and pipe itout slowly.But developers don’t build

enough floodwater retention intotheir projects, and “areas that neverflooded before now flood in thesmallest event,” said Ed Browne,chairmen of the citizens’ groupResidents Against Flooding.For example, if a property previ-

ously had construction and is beingredeveloped, building codes don’trequire detention ponds.“That’s just not how the laws are

set up,” said Mike Talbott, execu-tive director of the Harris CountyFlood Control District.He said blaming new construc-

tion for worsening flooding isunwarranted.“The new growth is mitigating

its own impacts,” he said.

Homeowner Complaints,Campaign ContributionsAcross Houston, anxiety rises

when heavy rain is forecast, andpeople dread what hydrologistscall “sheet flow.”That’s especially true in places

such as Frostwood, a west Houstonneighborhood downhill fromMemorial City, a developmentwith big-box stores, office towers,a hospital, a hotel and condos.Memorial City’s owner, Metro

National, has benefited from morethan a decade of infrastructureimprovements made by a quasi-governmental authority that thecompany’s own lawyers helpedcreate.Flooded residents claim the

authority failed to honor a 2003pledge to build stormwater deten-tion ponds on their side ofInterstate 10, which the stateDepartment of Transportation sub-

sequently expanded to 26 lanesincluding frontage.“It seems like we’ve just got a

concrete jungle around us nowwith no place for the water to go,”said Carolyn Elliott, an 81-year-oldwidow whose husband was criti-cally ill when an April 2009 delugeforced them from their home ofthree decades.Jim Jard, a former Metro

National president who sat on theHouston Planning Commission for25 years and is still involved withthe company, said “there is no civilengineer that will tell you projectsat Metro National caused addition-al flooding.”Developers play big in Houston

politics.Nearly half of the $313,000 that

Harris County’s top elected offi-cial, Judge Ed Emmett, collected incampaign contributions in the firsthalf of 2014 came from engineers,builders, developers and real estateinterests. Emmett said it’s unfair tosay the donations gave them out-sized influence. So why do theygive?“Why does anyone give money

to campaigns? You’d have to askthem,” said Emmett, a Republicanre-elected in November 2014.More than a quarter of the

$726,000 in contributions toHouston Mayor Sylvester Turnerlast December came from develop-ers, engineers, builders and realestate interests. Some of the moneyfor Turner, a Democrat who won aDec. 12 runoff, was collected at aMetro National fundraiser.Turner’s spokeswoman, JaniceEvans, said project choices in the“Rebuild Houston” program forimproving drainage are based onneed and data, “not influence fromany one group.”Freshman city council member

Greg Travis said Metro Nationalbacked his opponent during lastyear’s race. After Travis won, hesaid, the company gave him six orseven personal checks, includingone from Jard. He said he nevercashed the checks and didn’t recallthe amounts.“I am not opposed to Metro

National,” Travis said. “I like a lotof what they do. But there are cer-tain things I don’t like. And the factis, I don’t need their money.”

Rising Temperatures,Frequent Downpours Climate change is increasingly

concentrating downpours into

smaller areas, with big implica-tions for urban flooding, scientistssay. On April 18, one northwestsection of Harris County got 4.7 in.(12 cm) in an hour.Rising average temperatures

since 1985 have packed 7 percentmore moisture into the atmosphereabove Houston, while warmerGulf of Mexico waters collude inthe heavier rains.Since 1986, extreme downpours

— the type measured in double-digit inches — have occurredtwice as often as in the previous 30years, the AP weather analysisshowed.Texas State Climatologist John

Nielsen-Gammon said to expectmore frequent and bigger down-pours. “The odds are twice as highas they have been in the past.”Since the late 1970s, FEMA has

made more flood damage pay-ments in Harris County than in anyplace outside New Orleans andtwo other Louisiana parishes alsoravaged by Hurricane Katrina. Theagency received more than 8,000claims from April’s deluge but hasyet to calculate how many arerepeat victims.Entire blocks of chronically

flooded Houston neighborhoodsshould be acquired for conversioninto water-absorbing open spaces,said Roy Wright, FEMA’s associ-ate deputy administrator. But buy-outs are voluntary, and FEMAdoesn’t pay for relocation.Harris County has done about

3,000 buyouts over the past threedecades, underwritten mostly byfederal dollars. Talbott said buy-outs will remain part of the strate-gy, though Mark Loethen ofHouston’s Public WorksDepartment said the city prefershelping homeowners get federalgrants to raise homes above floodlevels.With each new flood, the maps

FEMA uses to determine floodinsurance eligibility and other mat-ters become instantly obsolete. A2013 presidential directive told theagency to start using computermodeling to update the maps, butthat hasn’t happened yet.Harris County boasts of being

among just seven agencies nation-wide that is empowered to inde-pendently update flood maps,although FEMA must give finalapproval. In places such as Denverand North Carolina, that practicehas worked well, said Alan Lulloffof the Association of State Flood

Plain Managers.But Houston environmental

attorney Jim Blackburn said HarrisCounty’s autonomy emerged outof the pro-developer 1980s. “In some of the more egregious

cases, it appeared to us that devel-opers had an undue influence in theshape or extent of the flood plain,”he said.Blackburn has filed three related

lawsuits in the last 15 years. ASierra Club suit prompted FEMAto raise the flood plain by some 4ft. (1.2 m) in a northwestern sub-urb. Another suit failed to halt con-struction of a section of Houston’sthird outer-ring highway. TheTexas Supreme Court is rehearinga 2002 lawsuit filed by homeown-ers along oft-flooded White OakBayou so they might qualify forfederal relief.

One Family, Two Floods Parts of Meyerland, a leafy sub-

division inaugurated on a formerrice field in 1955 by then-VicePresident Richard Nixon, are nowa forlorn hodgepodge of flood-rav-aged, one-story ranch homes,many with “for sale” signs. Theneighborhood 10 mi. (16 km)southwest of downtown includesmany homes that were rebuilt 5 ft.(1.5 m) above ground.Self-employed IT administrator

Harry Duffey was just about tomove back in with his wife andfour kids when the latest flood hit.A few miles upstream, nearly 8 in.(20 cm) of rain fell in just threehours.The family bought their 5,100-

sq.-ft. (473.8 sq m) home, locatedjust a block from Bray’s Bayou,three years ago for $750,000.Nothing in its records indicated ithad ever flooded, Duffey said.On Memorial Day 2015, the

Duffeys were wading in 2.5 ft. (.76m) of fetid water. They had not yetmoved back in when the waterreturned a in April. Wood floorsand drywall were ripped out again.The graduate of nearby Rice

University got a $250,000 floodinsurance payout last time. Deeplyin debt, he hopes for the sameagain.“From a financial standpoint,

the only thing that makes sense isto move back, to remodel a thirdtime,” he said.

(This story also can be foundon Construction EquipmentGuide’s website at www.con-structionequipmentguide.com.)


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New 100,000-Sq.-Ft. Facility…

GM Breaks Ground on New FinancialServicing Center in San AntonioGov. Greg Abbott attended and delivered remarks at the

groundbreaking ceremony for a new General Motors finan-cial servicing center in San Antonio, Texas. The financialservicing center is pro-jected to create more than490 jobs and at least $20million in capital invest-ment in the state of Texas.“Today is the latest

example of the economicdiversification Texasenjoys,” said Gov.Abbott. “San Antonio ishome of transformationaltechnology and manufac-turing, and now, the city isadding hundreds of newjobs in the growing finan-cial services sector. I thank General Motors Financial forbeing such a great business partner and continuing to expandin Texas."

Project Facts• 100,000 sq. ft. (9,290 sq m) facility planned for con-

struction on 13.8 acres of land.• Center will provide

customer care and funding formotor vehicle loans and leases.• Total economic output

over first 10 years of operations canreach $333 million.• A Texas Enterprise

Fund (TEF) grant of $2.5 millionhas been extended to GMFinancial.• GM Financial is head-

quartered in Fort Worth, Texas.• GM Financial already

employs 2,580 workers in the stateof Texas.

(This story also can be found on ConstructionEquipment Guide’s Web site at www.constructionequip-

mentguide.com.)

Oil, Gas RegulatorDashes U.S. ArmyCorps’ Drilling RegGRAND PRAIRIE, Texas (AP) Texas’ oil and gas regula-

tor has challenged the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’authority to ban hydraulic fracturing and limit injection wellsnear a North Texas dam.In a letter sent to the corps, Kimberly Corley, Texas

Railroad Commission executive director questioned restric-tions the corps announced last week that would ban frackingwithin 4,000 ft. (1,219 m) and limit injection wells within 5mi. (8 km) of the Joe Pool Lake dam.The corps cited fears of induced seismicity, or earthquakes

triggered by human activity.Corley objected to the corps acting to limit drilling with-

out consulting the Railroad Commission or going through aformal rulemaking process.Although there is no drilling under way near the dam,

Exxon Mobil subsidiary XTO Energy has three existingwells and state permits to drill four more.

(This story also can be found on Construction

Equipment Guide’s Web site at www.constructionequip-

mentguide.com.)

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The Texas State Department of Transportation receivedbids for transportation-related improvement projects.Following is a list of some of the projects let.

County: RockwallProject ID: STP 2016(819)HES Project: Provide additional paved surface width.Location: 0.1 mi. west of FM 1141 to the Hunt Countyline.Estimate: $18,703,454Contractors and Bid Amounts:

• Apac-Texas Inc. — $15,872,365• Austin Bridge & Road Services LP —

$20,038,115• Zachry Construction Corporation — $20,502,613• RK Hall LLC — $22,161,804

County: McLennanProject ID:NH 2016(830) Project:Mill, seal and inlay.Location: FM 3476 to SP 412.Estimate: $12,539,037Contractors and Bid Amounts:

• J.D. Abrams L.P. — $14,481,308• SCR Construction Company Inc. — $17,348,022• Big Creek Construction Ltd. — $22,787,514

County: KaufmanProject ID:NH 2016(835)Project: Bridge rail upgrades and median cable barrier.Location: IH 635 to Van Zandt County line.Estimate: $3,753,935Contractors and Bid Amounts:

• Massana Construction Inc. — $2,582,661• SCR Construction Company Inc. — $3,414,423• Collins & Hermann Inc. — $3,707,370• Vann/Elli Inc. — $4,566,529• FNH Construction LLC — $4,963,731

County: WiseProject ID: STP 2016(833)Project:HMAC overlay.Location: Denton County line to FM 1204.Estimate: $6,925,759Contractors and Bid Amounts:

• Jagoe-Public Company — $5,354,817• The Lane Construction Corporation — $5,372,333

•PeachtreeConstruction Ltd. —$6,979,631

County: TravisProject ID: STP 2014(116)TEProject: Construct sidewalks.Location: 0.1 mi. north of Daffan Lane to 0.1 mi south ofLoyola Lane.Estimate: $2,112,976Contractors and Bid Amounts:

• M. A. Smith Contracting Company Inc. — $2,045,353• Dan Williams Company — $2,078,976• Encino Landscape Inc. — $2,275,492• FNH Construction LLC — $2,864,543• Highway 19 Construction LLC — $2,877,729

County: BeeProject ID: STP 2016(811)Project:Widen roadway.Location: U.S. 181 to FM 2985.Estimate: $4,621,868Contractors and Bid Amounts:

• J. Carroll Weaver Inc. — $4,270,569• Ray Faris Inc. — $4,718,729• Hunter Industries Ltd. — $4,774,706• Angel Brothers Holdings Corporation — $4,792,674

• Dean Word Company Ltd. — $4,826,236• Haas-Anderson Construction Ltd. — $5,168,942• Brett Construction Company — $5,186,708• Salinas Construction Technologies Ltd. — $5,706,415• Bay Ltd. — $6,238,452

County: DuvalProject ID: STP 2016(855)Project:ACP overlay and pavement markings.Location: Webb/Duval County Line to U.S. 59.Estimate: $4,671,020Contractors and Bid Amounts:

• Angel Brothers Holdings Corporation —$4,178,905• Anderson Columbia Company Inc. — $4,543,021• Foremost Paving Inc. — $6,479,715

County: DallasProject ID:NH 2016(827) Project: Lower roadway profile.Location: West of Gross Road to east of Gross Road.Estimate: $2,790,825Contractors and Bid Amounts:

• Apac-Texas Inc. — $3,008,042• Ed Bell Construction Company — $3,536,308• FNH Construction LLC — $3,703,035

County: HoodProject ID: STP 2016(826) Project: BS repair, seal coat and HMAC.Location: Pirate Drive to FM 56 in Tolar.Estimate: $4,453,150Contractors and Bid Amounts:

• Northeastern Pavers Inc. — $4,079,052• Peachtree Construction Ltd. — $4,563,817

County: ShelbyProject ID: STP 2016(808)Project: Reconstruct and widen pavement.Location: SH 87 to FM 139.Estimate: $5,316,549Contractors and Bid Amounts:

• Drewery Construction Company Inc. — $5,757,568• L. S. Equipment Company Inc. — $6,179,401• Pinto Construction Company Inc. — $6,503,545• Longview Bridge and Road Ltd. — $6,583,121• East Texas Bridge Inc. — $8,452,252

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Lanes-Abrams JV Leads 360 South Design-Build Project scrapers.State Highway 360 South is a

design-build project. Design-buildis a method of project delivery inwhich the design-build team worksunder a single contract with theproject owner to provide designand construction services. It typi-cally cuts construction time in half.Contractor is Lane-Abrams

Joint Venture of Mansfield, Texas.Lane Construction Corporation ofCheshire, Conn., and J.D. Abramsof Austin, Texas, partnered to formthe Lane-Abrams Joint Venture todesign and construct the SH 360project.The Lane-Abrams Joint Venture

assembled a project team com-prised of AECOM TechnicalServices Inc., of Los Angeles,Calif.; Blanton & Associates Inc.,

of Lakeway, Texas; CSJ UtilityCoordinators LLC, of Hutto,Texas; Fugro Consultants Inc., ofVentura, Calif.; HaydenConsultants Inc., of Dallas, Texas;Infrastructure Corporation ofAmerica of Brentwood, Tenn.; KStrategies Group LLC, of FortWorth; Michael Baker Jr. Inc., ofPittsburgh, Pa.; PinnacleConsulting Management GroupInc., of Oklahoma City, Okla.;Rios Engineering LLC, of Austin,Texas; Rodriguez EngineeringLaboratories LLC, of Austin,Texas; and SE3 LLC, of LeesSummit, Mo.Subcontractors for the project

include: MICA Corp. of FortWorth, Texas, for signage andintelligent transportation system(ITS); WW Foundation ofHouston, Texas, for foundation

drilling; W.O.E. Construction Inc.,of Grand Prairie, Texas, for flat-work and sawing; ReynoldsAsphalt of Euless, Texas, forasphalt paving; and IndusConstruction of Houston, Texas,for rebar installation.The project includes at least 12

different trades spanning fromlaborers to skilled carpenters andconcrete finishers. Between 250and 300 craft employees will be onthe job each day when constructionis in full swing. Approximately125 craft employees are working

on the early stages of the project.Project manager for TxDOT is

Tony Payberah, with JasonMcLear as project manager for theLane-Abrams Joint Venture.

SH 360 Dates Back to the1950s

TxDOT first developed andopened portions of SH 360 in1958, and the department has reg-ularly improved and expanded thehighway ever since. Population hassurged substantially since that time.

Construction is under way on a $330 million Texas State Highway360 South project that will add lanes to the highway stretching 9.7mi. (15.6 km) from 2 mi. (3.2 km) south of I-20 in Arlington, southto U.S. 287 in Ellis County.

see HIGHWAY page 22

HIGHWAY from page 1

TxDOT is financing and overseeing construction of the projectbefore turning the roadway over to the North Texas TollwayAuthority.

TxDOT first developed and opened portions of SH 360 in 1958, and the department has regularlyimproved and expanded the highway ever since. Population has surged substantially since that time.

The project will use temporary detours to facilitate the construction of crossover bridges.


Projected Meteoric Rise in Traffic Spurs SH 360 South Job “Growth in the area, especially

the southern sector, has been expe-rienced in recent years,” Bilbreysaid. “Traffic counts show thatapproximately 52,000 drivers usethe corridor each day. Projectionsshow that by the year 2030 thatwill increase to 174,000 driversdaily.”

Project on Schedule“As with any project of this size,

there are unexpected delays,”Bilbrey said. “Delays with utilityrelocations, permitting and weath-er are always expected andplanned for. At this time, the proj-ect is on schedule and is expectedto reach substantial completion bythe end of 2017.”

Detours in PlaceThe project will use temporary

detours to facilitate the construc-tion of crossover bridges. Detoursare in place for bridge constructionat Webb Lynn Road/Lynn CreekParkway; Debbie Lane/RaglandRoad; Broad Street; and HeritageParkway.This summer a detour for bridge

construction will be in place atSublett Road/Camp Wisdom Road.Bilbrey said that feedback from

local residents and the Texas A&MTransportation Institute show thatdelays in navigating the detourshave been minimal to nonexistent.

Public Information Team Is in Place

A public information team ledby K Strategies works withTxDOT and North Texas TollwayAuthority to keep SH 360 usersinformed on project progress. Theteam holds outreach activities toengage the public throughout theproject duration. It conducts publicmeetings and operates a publicinformation office. Its tools includea project website, a mobile app,text alerts, as well as social mediaand project hotlines.The contractor also developed a

traffic management plan to mini-mize traffic impacts during con-struction. The plan allowsmotorists to use existing improve-ments on SH 360 for most of theconstruction duration. Many crossstreets are being constructed usinga detour concept to keep trafficmoving at normal levels.

(This story also can be foundon Construction EquipmentGuide’s website at www.con-structionequipmentguide.com.)CEG

Construction Far Outpaces Demolition in Houston AreaHighway 6-FM 1960, which has 23.6 per-

cent of the county’s construction sites. Thearea between Loop 610 and Beltway 8 andthe area outside the Grand Parkway has thelowest percentage of construction sites, 19.7percent and 8.4 percent, respectively.In contrast, the area inside Loop 610 has

the highest percentage of demolition sites inHarris County — 43.4 percent — followedby the area between Loop 610 and Beltway8, which has 42.6 percent. The area betweenBeltway 8 and State Highway 6-FM 1960trails with 11.7 percent of the county’s dem-olition sites, and the areas between StateHighway 6-FM 1960 and the GrandParkway and outside the Grand Parkwayhave the lowest percentage of demolitionsites, 1.8 percent and 0.5 percent, respective-ly.Other findings from the report include:• A near majority of census tracts are

classified as low-turnover areas, where fewmajor changes to the building stock have

occurred since 2005; about 20 percent aredemolition-intensive, where a large fractionof buildings have been demolished but newdevelopments are rare; another 16 percentare construction-intensive, which have highrates of new construction but relatively lowrates of demolition; and the final 5 percentare high-turnover, in which both demolitionsand new development are common.• The pattern of construction and demoli-

tion suggests that the majority of construc-tion over the past decade has taken place onpreviously undeveloped or vacant property.• Fifty-two percent of sites with demoli-

tions in the past 10 years had either new con-struction or were tied to a building permit.The remaining 48 percent had neither con-struction nor building permits. The fractionof demolition sites doubling as new con-struction sites varies considerably across theHouston area, suggesting that these proper-ties remain vacant.“The data and methodology we use in our

report lets us understand how frequently —

and in what areas — demolition and con-struction take place on the same properties,”Walker said. “It turns out that only about halfof the properties with demolition permitsdouble as sites of new construction. Thismeans that the overwhelming majority ofconstruction in the county is taking place onempty land, rather than replacing existingstructures.”“These statistics and the visualizations

confirm a great deal of the anecdotal evi-dence of development trends in HarrisCounty,” Shelton said. “We talk a lot aboutwhere growth and demolitions are happen-ing, now we can see them side by side.Moreover, these tools help us see that someareas experiencing high demolitions are alsohome to high construction rates. Others arenot. So where some demolitions signal rede-velopment and new homes, others point tostagnation and vacancies in the built envi-ronment.”Walker and Shelton said the Kinder

Institute intends to build additional data atop

this built-environment evolution map.Subsequent reports will incorporate socio-demographic data into the analyses and mayalso include additional built-environmentfactors such as vacancies, home sales or dan-gerous buildings.“We hope that the report spurs further

conversation and inquiry into regional devel-opment trends,” the authors said. “In addi-tion, we hope that the interactive map willserve as a countywide resource that empow-ers residents to visualize and quantify con-struction and demolition activity in theirown communities.”For a full copy of the report, visit

http://kinder.rice.edu/DTP/. The report’sinteractive online map is accessible atwww.houstoninflux.com.For more information, visit

http://news.rice.edu/.(This story also can be found on

Construction Equipment Guide’s website atwww.constructionequipmentguide.com.)

HIGHWAY from page 20

By late 2017, SH 360 will have two frontage road lanes and two toll lanes in each direction for theentire project length.

HOUSTON from page 1


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Texas 13 2016

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