DFW CONNECTOR
DALLAS, TX
Overview
Zachry, a joint venture member of NorthGate Constructors, worked with TxDOT to design, build, and maintain more than $1 billion worth of improvements to the State Highway 114/121 corridor north of the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW). Under a comprehensive development agreement, the DFW Connector consisted of 8.4 miles of roadway, including four highways, two interchanges, five overpasses, 37 bridges, new direct-connect ramps, and continuous frontage roads. At its widest point, the new SH 114 highway spans 24 lanes. Major quantities include 1.6 million square yards of concrete paving, 130,000 linear feet of drainage installation, 2.9 million cubic yards of excavation, 2.1 million cubic yards of embankment, and 725,000 square feet of mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) wall installation.
In June 2013, NorthGate Constructors was awarded a Deferred Work Component to design and reconstruct approximately one mile of FM 2499, from the town of Flower Mound to the City of Grapevine. This portion of the project was completed in 2017.
TxDOT continues to help ease and reduce traffic congestions and air pollution from the substantial number of vehicles traveling the DFW Connector roads daily. In December of 2017, TxDOT approved another $371 million for design-build work on the SH121 interchanges at Interstate Highway 635 and FM 2499 with potential additional contracts for surrounding roadways and interchanges.
In 2014, the DFW Connector project received an FHWA Excellence Award for Project Development for demonstrating the ability to plan and design surface transportation projects involving complex utility coordination. The project has also been awarded the 2011 Transportation Development Foundation’s PRIDE Award by the American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) and 2011 Workforce Solutions Employer of the Year by the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC).