Construction, engineering and industry consulting firm AECOM recently said it has been named lead designer for Lone Star Constructors' $700 million design-build contract for the Interstate (I)-35 Northeast Expansion (NEX) South project in San Antonio (Bexar County), Texas.

Lone Star Constructors, which is comprised of Fluor (Irving, Texas) and Austin Bridge & Road (Coppell, Texas), will also maintain the project area's pavement; structures; drainage facilities; and earthworks, embankments and cutting for 15 years under an $18.7 million general maintenance contract with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT).

Under the design-build contract for the 4-mi. project, Lone Star will build three elevated express lanes — two general purpose and one HOV (high-occupancy vehicle) — along I-35 in each direction.

The NEX South project is one of three that make up the multibillion, 16-mi. I-35 NEX. Part of the statewide Texas Clear Lanes program meant to ease highway congestion, I-35 NEX will see the addition of non-tolled express lanes, new interchanges, access to and from I-35 main lanes and other related work along the project corridor.

The first two contracts for the full project, according to the TxDOT, are design-build — one with Lone Star Constructors and the other with Ferrovial subsidiaries Ferrovial Construction and Webber. The $1.5 billion I-35 NEX central project will see Ferrovial carry out a scope of work similar to Lone Star's but along 9.5 mi. of the highway. That work is underway.

"We are proud to extend our relationship with the Texas Department of Transportation on this important project that will provide the transportation infrastructure needed to support the dynamic San Antonio and Austin regions," said Lara Poloni, AECOM president.

"Our teams will deploy their unrivalled technical expertise and local knowledge to complete these ambitious improvements, expanding our record of delivering transformative transportation projects across Texas," Poloni said.

Recently, AECOM announced that it had been named lead designer for the Washington State Department of Transportation's $605 million (legislative funding) I-405, Brickyard to SR 527 improvement project in Seattle-area Bothell, Washington. Skanska USA Civil is the contractor.

The 4.5-mi. project will see the expansion of the dual express toll lane (ETL) system, according to Skanska, and includes new lanes, direct access ramps, interchange improvements, bus rapid transit infrastructure and new fish passage culverts.

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