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State Highway 161
Phase 4 Design Started After months of evaluating and negotiating, planning and preparing, Phase 4 of the State Highway (SH) 161 corridor project commenced in November, kicking off the design process.
Phase 4 is the last phase of construction for SH 161, which runs between SH 183 and Interstate Highway (IH) 20. Phase 4 includes the interchanges at IH 30 and IH 20 and the main lanes between the interchanges.
Once the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) verified that the NTTA had awarded the Phase 4 design-build contract in accordance with state and federal guidelines, the NTTA issued the first notice to proceed.
With that go ahead, the design-build contractors could begin determining how SH 161 will pass beneath IH 30 and how its direct connectors will tie in to the interstate. The contractors also will design the IH 20 direct connectors, two main lanes in each direction, and nine entrance-exit ramp pairs. In addition, they will handle utility relocation and coordination.
This design work, which was triggered by the notice to proceed, will result in 60 percent to 90 percent design submittals for some elements of the project. The NTTA anticipates receiving the 30 percent design submittal in November.
A second notice to proceed, expected around the first of the year, will be for the Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) crossing between Main and Jefferson streets in Grand Prairie.
The third notice to proceed, which will kick off the remaining design work, will be issued by March 2010.
As the design process began, the team started conducting weekly technical work group meetings between NTTA staff and the contractor’s technical leads for roadway, drainage, utilities, structures, toll facilities, traffic, environmental and other disciplines. The goal is to ensure that the design conforms to NTTA standards.
Altogether, the design process is expected to take about a year. As some of the work is completed, construction can begin and occur concurrently with the remaining design. The first work on the ground will be to excavate the UPRR tracks under the main lanes.
Throughout the project, the NTTA’s corridor management team and the contractor’s design team will be located near the project site at Carrier Parkway and SH 360 in Grand Prairie.
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