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Five years after shovels initially hit the ground, a key gateway between Austin and fast-growing communities west of the city has opened.
A joint venture of Fluor and Balfour Beatty completed the $677 million Oak Hill Parkway project in southwest Austin, Texas, according to a Sept. 25 press release.
The project, part of the Texas DOT’s Clear Lanes initiative, reconstructed and widened about 7 miles of US Route 290 and State Highway 71 through Oak Hill. The work widened the road from two to three lanes in each direction, according to the Irving, Texas-based contractor.
Other key project features include direct connecting overpasses between US Route 290 and State Highway 71 and a new overpass on William Cannon Drive. The JV team also replaced the old Y-interchange with a more efficient single-point urban interchange configuration, the release said.
Additional improvements include new frontage roads and shared paths along the corridor, as well as bicycle and pedestrian accommodations. The improved road system is now fully open to traffic, although final project activities such as landscaping, paving and striping will continue.
Fluor anticipates final completion by the end of the year, according to the contractor.
Fluor and Balfour Beatty team up again in Texas
Fluor and Balfour Beatty have previously teamed up on other highway projects in the Lone Star State.
For example, Texas DOT tapped the contractor pair in 2019 to design and rebuild one section of Interstate 635 in Dallas The scope of that project included work to widen and rehabilitate about 11 miles of the interstate, according to Fluor.
In 2017, the contractors also won an award for design and build $625 million Southern Gateway Freeway Project in Dallas The scope included the addition of a fifth lane in each direction along an 11-mile stretch of I-35 and two reversible toll-free express lanes.
