The Texas Transportation Commission has awarded a contract to a joint venture between construction companies Austin Bridge & Road and Bay (Austin Bay JV) for improving the US 77 highway stretch between Driscoll and Kingsville.

To date, an estimated total of $80m has been spent to advance the US 77 upgrade in a move to make the highway a part of the state’s new Interstate 69.

The entire US 77 upgrade project runs nearly 122 miles between Corpus Christi and Harlingen, and will be completed in phases based on the availability of federal and state funding.

"The entire US 77 upgrade project runs nearly 122 miles between Corpus Christi and Harlingen, and will be completed in phases based on the availability of federal and state funding."

Under the new contract, the developer will design and reconstruct eight miles of the highway to make it meet interstate standards

The latest upgrade will include replacement of bridges, elimination of crossroad traffic on main lanes of travel, and expansion of roadway, which enlarge roadway shoulders, improving safety for vehicles needing to pull over to roadsides.

Currently, nearly 70 miles of Interstate 69 has been designated in areas near Robstown and Houston, with 28 of those miles recently approved by the Federal Highway Administration and designated in February 2013.

Previously, US Congress established a series of ‘High Priority Corridors’ on the National Highway System, comprising US 77 from the Rio Grande River to Interstate 37 at Corpus Christi, selected as a future part of the Interstate System.

The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) received prior legislative authority to implement up to three design-build agreements a year, with the latest deal being the second agreement the department will have carried out in fiscal 2013.