HOUSTON – A partnership that delivered Grand Parkway segments F1, F2 and G, from U.S. 290 to Interstate 69/U.S. 59, was recognized for its approach toward achieving faster delivery, lower costs and better design, the Texas Department of Transportation said.
The award was presented Tuesday to the Texas Department of Transportation, Zachary-Odebrecht Parkway Builders and CH2M at the National Council for Public-Private Partnerships P3 Connect event in Chicago, Illinois.
"NCPPP recognizes those organizations and individuals that advance the concept and implementation of public-private partnerships across the country," NCPPP president Sandra Sullivan said. "We are proud to recognize innovators and leaders whose work serves as exemplary partnership models."
TxDOT said the Grand Parkway is a proposed 184-mile highway around the greater Houston area that is spread across seven counties.
The parkway, which is divided into 11 segments, will ultimately serve as an outer loop around the Houston metropolitan area. TxDOT officials said it is meant to improve connectivity within the existing highway network, reduce transportation congestion, enhance mobility and travel options and accommodate demographic and economic growth.
The parkway also provides additional hurricane and emergency evacuation routes for the greater Houston area, officials said.
Segments F1, F2 and G of the Grand Parkway consist of 38.4 contiguous miles of road connecting communities from U.S. 290 to U.S. 59/I-69 Eastex in Harris and Montgomery counties. Officials said it was built with a partnership among TxDOT, Zachary-Odebrecht Parkway Builders and CH2M.
The three segments were delivered as a single design-build project, which began construction in July 2013 and was opened to traffic in March 2016, TxDOT said.
"We are thankful to the NCPPP for recognizing the solid partnerships that we have built," TxDOT Houston District special projects director Varuna Signh said. "It is this hard work and dedication that has made the newest segments of the Grand Parkway a reality."
The design-build contract unified the flow of work from conception to completion for faster delivery, lower costs and better design. TxDOT officials said the public-private partnership also streamlined coordination with federal, state and local stakeholders.