Dallas Fort Worth Connector Project, United States of America

The Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) connector project is the biggest transportation infrastructure project undertaken in North Central Texas. The project involves the reconstruction of 8.4-mile-long roads covering Southlake, Grapevine and the north-end area of Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. Construction began on 17 February 2007 and is due for completion in 2014. An estimated $1.02bn will be invested in the project.

Upon completion, the project will improve mobility in areas surrounding Interstate 635 and State Highways (SH) 114, 121 and 360, thereby enhancing the business, commercial and recreational interests of North Texas.

Dallas Fort Worth connector project

The DFW connector project will be carried out over seven phases, referred to as 1a through 3b.

During phase one, the east and west end of the project will be rebuilt with major areas of work including four highways, five bridges and two interchanges.

The highway at the widest point of SH 114, between the Texan Trail and International Parkway, will consist of 24 parallel lanes. While 14 of these lines will serve as main lanes, six will be frontage roads and the remaining four will be toll-managed lanes.

The existing connection between the north-facing SH 121 and west-facing SH 114, and between the eastbound SH 114 and southbound SH 121 at William D Tate, will be replaced with new direct ramps. Continuous frontage road lanes will be constructed between William D Tate and the Northwest Highway along the westbound and eastbound SH 114.

The general purpose lanes will include four to six lanes between SH 1709 and William D Tate along the SH 114. Near the intersection between SH 121 and SH 114, three southbound and three to five northbound general purpose lanes will be added.

The intersection near William D Tate to International Parkway along SH 114 and 121 will have six east-facing lanes and six to eight west-facing lanes.

In the area between the northern entrance of the DFW airport and the I-365 along SH 121, four to seven northbound and three to six southbound general-purpose lanes will be built.

DFW connector project timeline

The staging areas of the project will be developed in February 2010. The developments will include the installation of erosion-control measures, building entrances to staging zones and creating a level area to store equipment and material.

Tree and shrub removal along the south-facing SH 121 frontage road and south-facing International Parkway lanes will be carried out by mid-February. Work on the main street bridge will begin in March 2010, while by mid-2010 construction of the west end will begin.

Transportation infrastructure project construction

The project will be constructed following a design-build approach that integrates both construction and design. Areas where design has already been completed will be constructed first. Design plans of the project's other sections will be worked out simultaneously.

Due to the design-build process, two large highway interchanges will be reconstructed in less than five years – around half the time compared to traditional construction methods.

DFW traffic management system

All lanes will remain open during peak travel hours, allowing motorists to move during construction. Lane closures will occur mostly during nights and off-peak times with temporary pavements built to move the traffic lanes.

DFW connector project finance

The project will be fully financed using public funds. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Funds has provided $250m towards the project. Approximately $107m will be sourced from bond returns for right-of-way acquisition. The remaining $667m will be taken from gas tax revenues.

Transport infrastructure project contractors

The main contractor of the project is NorthGate Constructors, selected by TxDOT on October 2009. NorthGate Constructors is a joint venture between Kiewit Texas Construction and Zachry Construction Corporation based in Fort Worth and San Antonio respectively. The scope of the contract includes project development, design, construction and maintenance.