Texas 7, March 26, 2023

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JE Dunn Building Austin’s New Joint Fire/EMS Station

By Irwin Rapoport CEG CORRESPONDENT

JE Dunn Construction, the city of Austin and trade partners broke ground on the site of Goodnight Ranch Joint Fire/EMS Station, the fourth of five new highpriority stations that the city is building to meet the demands of a growing city and ensure response times for fire and EMS crews meet established norms.

The new two-story station (AFD Station #53/EMS Station #42), which is expected to be completed in early 2024, was designed by PGAL and located in southeast Austin. PGAL is responsible for the design of all five stations.

The 15,200 sq.-ft. Goodnight Ranch station will have four pull-through apparatus bays, 11 fire dorms and four EMS dorms on the side that has two floors. Each station is expected to have a life span of at least 50 years.

“This station is another important step in the right direction towards providing our residents with the most equitable deployment of EMS resources across the city,” said ATCEMS Chief Robert Luckritz. "We are so thankful to our city leaders and the residents of Austin for their support of this initiative and our department."

Construction Progress

Jason Beiter, JE Dunn vice president and director of construction operations of Austin, provided an update on the construction program.

“This program has been very successful,” he said,

see FIRE page 14

.JE Dunn Construction recently broke ground on the Goodnight Ranch Joint Fire/EMS Station, the fourth of five new high-priority stations in Austin that the city is building to meet the demands of a growing population and ensure response times during emergencies.

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TxDOT, FHWA Sign Agreement On Houston’s $9B Project

TxDOT and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) signed a Voluntary Resolution Agreement (VRA) resolving the FHWA Title VI investigation of the I-45 North Houston Highway Improvement Project (NHHIP) and lifting FHWA’s pause on the project. This VRA takes significant steps to address project impacts to the community and provides clear enforceable timelines that will be monitored by FHWA as TxDOT proceeds with the NHHIP, including detailed design, stakeholder engagement, affordable housing initiatives, right-of-way acquisition, flood mitigation, and construction activities. The review of TxDOT’s responsibilities under the National Environmental Policy Act is also concluded with no findings.

The actions in the VRA will be performed in addition to and/or in compliance with the mitigation actions already committed to by TxDOT, as contained within the Record of Decision (ROD), including:

• Twice annual public meetings through design and construction;

• Mitigating displacements, relocations, housing and other community impacts;

• Drainage improvements to reduce flooding;

• Parks, open space, trails, pedestrian and bicycle facilities;

• Community access during construction;

• Highway “footprint” reduction;

• Structural highway caps;

• Air quality mitigation; and

• Meaningful access for persons with limited English Proficiency (LEP)

“This agreement moves forward an important project, responds to community concerns and improves the North Houston Highway Improvement Project in ways that will make a real difference in people’s lives,” said Federal

Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt. “Through this agreement, the community will have a greater voice in the design and throughout the project's life cycle. We have lifted the pause, and with FHWA oversight, TXDOT may proceed with design and construction.”

The $9 billion NHHIP will ultimately reconstruct I-45 North between Houston’s downtown and the North Sam Houston Tollway to bring the roadway up to federal safety standards and enhance mobility. Improvements also include increased modal options through four non-tolled managed lanes, bicycle and pedestrian features along frontage roads and cross streets, and trails parallel to bayous within the right

of way. Detention ponds, pump stations and other flood mitigation tools are also included in the project. Air quality will also benefit from less congested traffic and idling cars along with various project mitigations.

“This portion of I-45 was built in stages in the 1950s and 1960s and the design remained essentially the same while the area population has doubled,” stated Marc Williams, TxDOT executive director. “The reconstruction of I-45 will address mobility needs for people and freight, while also improving safety and a number of environmental mitigations that include critical measures to improve storm water drainage. Considering the recently executed agreements with Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, Harris County, and now the FHWA, we are excited to get this critical infrastructure project moving with our partnering agencies.”

About I-45 Project (NHHIP)

The NHHIP will address critical needs including updating three highways to current design and safety standards, relieving traffic congestion, improving storm water drainage, and improving the evacuation routes. The NHHIP will add four managed express lanes on I-45 from Downtown Houston to Beltway 8 North; reroute I-45 to be parallel with I-10 on the north side of Downtown Houston and parallel to US 59/I-69 on the east side of Downtown Houston; realign sections of I-10 and I-69 in the downtown area to eliminate the current roadway reverse curves that limit capacity; and lower I-69 between I-10 and Spur 527 south of Downtown to improve safety by eliminating unsafe weaving.

The purpose of the NHHIP is to implement an integrated system of transportation improvements that would:

• Bring I-45, I-10, and US 59/I-69 up to current design standards to improve safety and operations.

• Manage I-45 traffic congestion in the NHHIP area through added capacity, MaX lanes, options for single-occupancy vehicle (SOV) lanes, and improved operations.

• Improve mobility on I-45 between US 59/I-69 and Beltway 8 North by accommodating projected population growth and latent demand in the project area.

• Provide expanded transit and carpool opportunities.

• Improve the capabilities of I-45 as an emergency evacuation route.

• Improve storm water drainage on I-45.

• Support the projected significant increase in travel on the regional highways in the Houston-Galveston area.

For more information about the NHHIP project, visit www.txdot.gov/nhhip.

For more information, contact TxDOT public information office at 713/802-5077 or by email houpiowebmail@txdot.gov or contact FHWA press office at 202/366-0660 or by email to FHWA.PressOffice@dot.gov 

(All photos courtesy of TxDOT.)

The signed agreement will lift FHWA’s pause on the project. This voluntary resolution agreement takes significant steps to address project impacts to the community and provides clear enforceable timelines that will be monitored by FHWA as TxDOT proceeds with the project.

The $9 billion NHHIP will ultimately reconstruct I-45 North between Houston’s downtown and the North Sam Houston Tollway to bring the roadway up to federal safety standards and enhance mobility.

Improvements also include increased modal options through four non-tolled managed lanes, bicycle and pedestrian features along frontage roads and cross streets, and trails parallel to bayous within the right of way.

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TxDOT, Kiewit South Co. Receive Sheldon G. Hayes Award

At a ceremony during its 2023 annual meeting on Feb. 8, the National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA) recognized 2022 award winners and honorees who advance the asphalt pavement industry.

Sheldon G. Hayes Award

The Sheldon G. Hayes Award for excellence in construction of an asphalt pavement, bestowed annually since 1971, recognizes the country’s highest quality highway pavements.

Kiewit Infrastructure South Co. and the Texas Department of Transportation Amarillo District were named the winner of the 2022 Sheldon G. Hayes Award for their work on U.S. 287 in Armstrong County, Texas.

Finalists for the award were:

• Allan Myers VA Inc. and the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel District for work on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel in Cape Charles, Va.;

• Delta Asphalt of Arkansas Inc. and the Arkansas Department of Transportation for work on I-55 in Mississippi County, Ark.; and

• Preferred Materials Inc., A CRH Company, and the Florida Department of

Transportation for SR 93A (I-75) in Tampa, Fla.

All highway pavement projects using more than 50,000 tons of asphalt may apply for the Sheldon G. Hayes Award. The winner and finalists are determined through a

two-year evaluation process. Initially, the project must win a Quality in Construction (QIC) Award, which is determined by numerical scores given by independent pavement engineers based on how well the contractor met specifications and

achieved density on the finished pavement. All pavements that meet a specified benchmark earn the QIC Award.

The year after a project wins a QIC Award, it is eligible for consideration for the Sheldon G. Hayes Award. The top-ranked projects from each year are tested for smoothness, then visually inspected by an independent pavement consultant with many years of experience in the industry. In the 2022 cycle, the evaluator praised all the candidates for their high-quality construction practices, which resulted in smooth, safe, and durable pavements.

At NAPA’s 68th Annual Meeting in Miami Beach, Fla., the winner and finalists were recognized for their achievements.

“The asphalt pavement industry is committed to building quality pavements that deliver high performance and drivability to the public,” said James A. Mitchell, 2022 NAPA chairman of the board.

The award is named for Sheldon G. Hayes, a founder of NAPA and the association’s first chairman. Hayes spent his entire career striving for better construction techniques and improvements in the quality of asphalt pavements. 

Kiewit Infrastructure South Co. and the Texas Department of Transportation Amarillo District were named the winner of the 2022 Sheldon G. Hayes Award for their work on U.S. 287 in Armstrong County, Texas.

Hoar Construction Leads Major San Angelo Expansion Job

Hoar Construction announced recently the expansion of the west bed tower at Shannon Medical Center in San Angelo, Texas, a key component of a broader, multi-million-dollar capital improvement program that is helping to modernize and expand healthcare services for the residents of San Angelo and surrounding communities. The project recently broke ground and is expected to be completed in summer 2024. Construction of the bed tower marks the first time a tower crane has been used for a project within San Angelo’s city limits.

The seven-story bed tower is an expansion of the existing 1,536,000-sq.-ft. hospital located on East Harris Avenue in downtown San Angelo. Construction consists of three floors of concrete parking garage underneath four floors of patient care space. On the third floor will be an 19,310-sq.-ft. Intensive care unit (ICU), the fourth floor will be patient rooms and the fifth and sixth floors will have shell spaces to be built out in the future.

“This project will further enhance the healthcare offerings in San Angelo and elevate Shannon Medical Center’s ability to provide top-quality care and services to a much larger pool of local patients,” said Bradley Barr, senior superintendent at Hoar. “The hospital is at 100 percent capacity for the majority of the year, which necessitates detailed planning and coordination to ensure that daily operations which are vital to patient care are not impaired in any way. Hoar’s proven track record and expertise in managing major hospital expansions and renovations, along with our strong local ties and under-

standing of the community, will ensure we deliver a facility of the highest quality for the patients and staff of SMC.”

Approximately 8,609 cu. yds. of concrete will be used for the project, along with 790 tons of rebar.

The project also will incorporate elements of modular construction, with 40 bathrooms being assembled in an off-site warehouse in New Braunfels. Once complete, the bathroom pods will be shipped directly to the job site for easy installation, saving the project a

significant amount of time.

The 168-ft.-high crane first appeared on site early January and will continue to aid in construction until the concrete structure is completed.

The tower crane will allow the 250-ft.-long jib to safely swing over nearby buildings, and whistles are used as signals to notify workers and those nearby that a load is being carried overhead. Special fencing is in place to allow for deliveries to the crane and keep pedestrians safely out of the way. Once work with the crane is done for the day, it is put in “weather vane” mode, which is an additional safety measure to ensure excessive wind loads are not imposed on the vertical column.

“As a native of San Angelo, it’s been personally rewarding to play a part in the continued expansion of Shannon Medical Center,” said Garrett Wheat,

project manager at Hoar. “There’s been a lot of excitement and anticipation around town about the crane, which will add a compelling feature to our skyline. Hoar is proud to invest our resources in this community and will continue to take an active role in building facilities that will add value and make a lasting impact for the generations to come.”

In February 2020, after more than 20 unique phases of construction, Hoar completed the east bed tower expansion and renovation project at Shannon Medical Center, which also spanned 7 stories and included an 8,000-squarefoot ICU and 26,000 square feet of interior renovations. In both projects, strategic techniques were used in the initial planning stages to maximize efficiency, cut costs and ensure patient and staff safety throughout construction.

Additional project partners include O’Connell Robertson as the architect and MEP engineer and Datum Engineers as the structural engineer.

Hoar Construction has established itself as one of America’s leading healthcare builders, completing over $335 million in healthcare projects over the past 10 years. Within Texas, Hoar has also served as the general contractor on a 72-bed pediatric hospital expansion associated with the Dell Children’s Medical Center of Central Texas; the new 170,000 square-foot Uvalde Memorial Hospital in Uvalde, Texas; and the six-story patient tower and 35,000 square feet of renovations for Hendrick Medical Center in Abilene, Texas. They’ve also built rehabilitation hospitals at Shannon Medical Center and in Lubbock, Texas, and Hobbs, New Mexico, and have completed a previous expansion to Abilene Regional Medical Center. 

(All photos courtesy of Hoar Construction.)

The seven-story bed tower is an expansion of the existing 1,536,000-sq.-ft. hospital located on East Harris Avenue in downtown San Angelo. Construction consists of three floors of concrete parking garage underneath four floors of patient care space. On the third floor will be a 19,310-sq.-ft. intensive care unit (ICU), the fourth floor will consist of patient rooms and the fifth and sixth floors will have shell spaces to be built out in the future.

Construction of the bed tower marks the first time a tower crane has been used for a project within San Angelo’s city limits.

Approximately 8,609 cu. yds. of concrete will be used for the project, along with 790 tons of rebar.

The project recently broke ground and is expected to be completed in summer 2024.

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Austin’s Newest Facility Will Be One of Five Stations Built

“This program is the first utilization of design-build procurement by the city. The city set it up for success because they hired an architectural firm to provide a design criteria manual that defined the programmatic parameters for different design options.”

Beiter complimented the team’s ability to solve for the various challenges of each station. For instance, the Loop 360/Davenport station site was largely built on a rock bed. Goodnight Ranch was built on expansive soil.

“The plan for excavation was significantly different for each station,” he said, “but the communication and planning process JE Dunn put into place for this project and with the design-build team has allowed us to approach each issue effectively and with quick resolution.”

Work on the Goodnight Ranch station is moving forward rapidly.

“We just finished the excavation and import of new structural fill,” said Beiter. “We are going to be commencing work for the foundation of the building, apparatus bay approach and parking lot.”

The site foundation for Goodnight Ranch will be a structural slab on drilled piers to mitigate expansion over the life of the building. The thickness of the slab for the apparatus bay approach is 10-in. thick so it can support the load of these vehicles.

The earth work was done rapidly without any issues. The apparatus bay, on the right side, is a single story, while the left side with the dorms and other facilities is two stories.

All of the stations have steel framing. For Goodnight Ranch, the steel framing will be

installed in early summer. JE Dunn is working with a Swiss Pearl rain screen skin system with glass punch openings. Between 50 and 75 skilled workers will be constructing Goodnight Ranch, a similar number for the other stations. Depending on the complexity of the site work, each station is approximately a 12-month construction process. Each time, the team has been able to strengthen its work process and build on lessons learned. Beiter also said the partnership of the design-build team, trade partners and the city has contributed immensely to the success of the first three stations.

“Eric Keplinger has been JE Dunn’s senior project manager from day one and he’s done a great job as a partner with the city’s project management team and the city’s fire and EMS chiefs to really make sure we are understanding what their true needs are,” said Beiter. “Burton Jones and Michele Noriega, the city’s project managers, have been instrumental in helping us in regard to permits and working with Austin Energy, Austin Water and Texas Gas to ensure all the utilities are provided in alignment with the program schedule.

“The efforts of the crews have been great,” he added. “Our trade partners understand these buildings will help citizens and save lives, so there is a personal connection for each one of these stations. Their crews take a great sense of pride and ownership, as

After crews completed excavation and import of the structural fill, JE Dunn will be commencing work for the foundation of the building, apparatus bay approach and parking lot.

FIRE from page 1 see FIRE page 18

The 15,200 sq.-ft. Goodnight Ranch station will have four pull-through appartus bays and 11 fire and four EMS dorms on the side that has two floors.

For Goodnight Ranch, the steel framing will be installed in early summer. JE Dunn is working with a Swiss Peal rain screen skin system with glass punch openings.

Texas A&M Univ. Doubles Its Budget for Construction

The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents on Thursday almost doubled the construction budget — from $85 million to $150 million — for Phase One of the Texas A&M-Fort Worth urban research campus.

Responding to greater-than-expected demand for space in the Law & Education Building, the Regents authorized approximately 225,000 gross sq. ft. — an estimated nine floors to house programs in law, engineering, business and health sciences, among others.

“There is so much opportunity for the Texas A&M System to serve Fort Worth, Tarrant County and all of North Texas, we had to go bigger and taller in the first building,” said Chancellor John Sharp.

The Law & Education Building is to be the first of a threebuilding complex built on four city blocks in southeast downtown as a joint effort with the city of Fort Worth and Tarrant County to spur business growth and economic development.

The other two buildings will be a public-private sector project built with city-issued bonds secured by lease payments from the Texas A&M System and private sector companies who want to co-locate with university and agency researchers.

The vision is to create a hub of collaboration between key Fort Worth industries and top research, education and workforce training assets of the Texas A&M System.

Texas A&M University’s School of Law, which has doubled its enrollment since 2019 to approximately 1,200 students, will occupy about half of the Law & Education Building. The construction will be financed with the Permanent University Fund and other System monies.

As part of the vote, the Regents authorized $15 million of the $150 million construction budget for design and pre-construction services. As early as May, the Board could be asked to give the final authorization for a groundbreaking.

In other action, the Board approved:

• $35 million for Phase 1 and $75 million for Phase 2 of the construction of a new dock and infrastructure for an ocean-going training and research ship for the Texas A&M Maritime Academy. The larger dock must be built to provide safe mooring of the vessel in Category II hurricanes;

• A new bachelor’s degree program in journalism at Texas A&M and authorized the university to seek the approval of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board;

• Increasing the cost of the Engineering Classroom and Research Building at Texas A&M University at Galveston by $6 million to $50,992,125;

• Early procurement of machinery and materials for Tarleton State University’s $110 million convocation center to address supply chain delays;

• A new $15.1 million Nuclear Engineering Education Building that will consolidate research faculty and labs for Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station in College Station;

• $6.4 million to construct a Propulsion Test Facility at Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station’s Turbomachinery Lab Project in College Station.

(All photos courtesy of Texas A&M.)

New EMS Digs Will Improve Response Times, Save Lives

well as in their craftsmanship.”

The trade partners for Del Valle/Moore’s Crossing were M-Tech Mechanical for mechanical, Champion Site Prep for earth work; Merval Construction for concrete; Construction Metal Products for the steel framing; Lantz Lakeside Plumbing for plumbing; and Beckett Electrical for electrical.

For the Travis Country/Sunset Valley station, the partners are Efficient Air Conditioning for mechanical; Champion Site Prep for earth work; Merval Construction for concrete; Construction Metal Products for the steel framing; Lantz Lakeside Plumbing for plumbing; and Beckett Electrical for electrical.

For the Loop 360/Davenport station, the partners are M-Tech Mechanical for mechanical and plumbing, JR Schneider Construction for earth work; Merval Construction for concrete; Construction Metal Products for the steel framing; and Schmidt Electric Company for electrical.

Goodnight Ranch’s trade partners are Airco Mechanical for mechanical; WPM Construction Services for earth work; Wolff Construction for concrete; Construction Metal Products for the steel framing; TCS Mechanical for plumbing; and Weifield Group Contracting for electrical.

The amounts of material that have been excavated and brought in for the construction are still being tabulated.

Equipment has been crucial for several aspects of the work. Excavators, including Cat models, were used to prepare the site for the foundation. Rollers helped to flatten the

ground and Dynapac motor graders helped to prepare the ground. Standard pieces of equipment were used for the pouring of concrete and manlifts and boom lifts, such as JLG 450SJ boom lifts were used during construction.

District 2 Council Member Vanessa Fuentes, who represents the area where the Goodnight Ranch is located, is very pleased with the construction announcement.

“One of the most important roles I play as a local leader is ensuring our communities have access to quick and reliable public safety,” she said. “This new joint Fire/EMS Station will provide faster response times while addressing the City’s rapid growth, especially in our Southeast Austin communities.”

“Our goal is to respond to those we serve in eight minutes or less, 90 percent of the time,” said Fire Chief Joel G. Baker. “This latest addition to the public safety fabric of this community is an exciting development as we get closer towards the goal of seeing five new stations completed in six years. We are grateful to the Mayor, council, city manager and all those who have worked so hard in making this station, as well as the others, a reality, and we look forward to being back at this site next year for the grand opening.”

Other features of construction include training stairs, a common day room, outdoor dining, kitchen and gym. It also will include a native pocket prairie that matches the local topography. The building features punch windows and colorful and transparent garage doors that allow people to see the parked trucks.  CEG

(All photos courtesy of JE Dunn.)

FIRE from page 14

The site foundation for Goodnight Ranch will be a structural slab on drilled piers to mitigate expansion over the life of the building.

“The plan for excavation was significantly different for each station, but the communication and planning process JE Dunn put into place for this project and with the design-build team has allowed us to approach each issue effectively and with quick resolution,” said Jason Beiter, JE Dunn vice president, director of construction operations of Austin.

Between 50 and 75 skilled workres will be constructing Goodnight Ranch, which is a similar number for the other stations that were previously built.

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University of Texas... Project Marks First Use of ‘Plastic Road’ Material in State

A University of Texas at Arlington civil engineering professor is using both recycled and unrecycled plastic waste products to fill in surface cracks and reduce rutting in roads — the first use of what’s called “plastic road” material in Texas.

Sahadat Hossain, UTA civil engineering professor and director of the UTA Solid Waste Institute for Sustainability, received a grant of approximately $950,000 from the Dallas district of the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT). Karthikeyan Loganathan, assistant professor of civil engineering, is co-principal investigator.

The use of plastic road is expected to improve the durability and strength of highway pavement and serve as a replacement for bitumen in asphalt pavement roads. The first plastic road implementation project will be in the Kaufman area. Over the last three years, Hossain’s team successfully completed a laboratory investigation examining the reuse of waste plastics in asphalt.

Recently, Hossain met with the World Bank on implementation of plastic road projects in developing countries.

“This is a perfect example of reuse of recycled materials for circular economy and green economy,” he said.

In a separate project, the Fort Worth district of TxDOT awarded Hossain a $637,060 contract to implement moisture barriers that reduce cracks and improve durability and strength of highway pavement and shoulders. The modified moisture barriers will be used in five locations in the Fort Worth district and two locations in the Dallas district.

“This new method could save TxDOT even more on pavement maintenance cost,” Hossain said.

Ricardo Gonzalez, director of TxDOT Fort Worth, said: “The technology proposed and the benefits discussed have a potential of cost savings to the department. Due to the results described on rutting of the pavement, this would be beneficial to address a concern of rutting pavement within our system with a potential increased durability. We look forward to identifying a way forward to work with The University of Texas at Arlington and Dr. Hossain.”

A third Hossain-led project involves the use of recycled plastic pins to stabilize highway soil slopes. The pins are eight to 10 feet in length and are driven into the soil to stabilize the slope.

“This is a very cost-effective and green solution compared to existing slope stabilization methods,” he said.

Melanie Sattler, interim chair of UTA’s Department of Civil Engineering, said other states are following Hossain’s lead and adopting recycled plastic pins to shore up failing highway embankments.

“Dr. Hossain is a leader in the field,” Sattler said. “His innovative use of recycled plastic is making infrastructure construction more sustainable.”

A global leader in sustainable waste management, Hossain also is conducting research on landfill recycling and making landfills more sustainable. 

(All photos courtesy of UTA.)