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Vol. IV • No. 9
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Hardy Toll Road Connector Requires Major Excavation By Cindy Riley CEG CORRESPONDENT
Harris County Toll Road Authority photo
Crews in Texas continue making progress on the Hardy Toll Road Downtown Connector project, a 3.6-mi. toll road extension that will connect the existing Hardy Toll Road from its current southern end at Interstate 610 North Loop to downtown and U.S. Highway 59/IH 69. The project is supported entirely by revenue generated through tolls, and will benefit motorists and the community along the planned corridor. “It will provide a new connection directly into the Central Business District from north Houston, relieving existing highways of some volume,” said Matt Kainer, assistant director of maintenance and construction engineering of the Harris County Toll Road Harris County Toll Road Authority photo
The Hardy Toll Road Downtown Connector project is supported entirely by revenue generated through tolls, and will benefit motorists and the community along the planned corridor.
Authority (HCTRA). “The project has been planned for more than 25 years, but until an agreement was executed with the Houston Belt & Terminal [HB&T] and Union Pacific Railroad [UPRR] companies to relocate an existing rail line in 2012, nothing could move forward.” The Hardy Toll Road Downtown Connector will result in increased safety and convenience for drivers and pedestrians, with the removal The Lorraine project calls for 31,200 cu. yds. of roadway excavation; of the railroad crossings at 171,598 cu. yds. of detention pond excavation; 23,149 cu. yds. of storm Collingsworth, Lorraine and sewer excavation; and 8,385 cu. yds. of drilled shaft excavation, for a Quitman streets. Other benetotal of 234,332 cu. yds. of material to be excavated. fits include a reduction in
train signal noise, less traffic cutting through the neighborhood streets and new landscaping and green spaces. Kainer said the project was always envisioned to extend into downtown Houston, since the planning of the Hardy Toll Road in the 1980s. “HCTRA began coordinating agreements for this project with several agencies such as the city of Houston, UPRR, HB&T, BNSF Railway, and Harris County over several years, and about 2010 finally were able to agree to a direction.” Kainer noted that the Downtown Connector project faces several challenges.
“The project corridor runs through an established residential/industrial area, so coordination with all the affected parties will be critical. A few sections will be constructed in narrow ROW. The connection at IH610 will require several closures, elevated work and a sophisticated design. “The first phase of the project began with the relocation of the Houston Belt and Terminal rail line. Phase I will continue with the construction of three separate grade separations for Collingsworth, Lorraine and Quitman. Currently, these three streets cross the existing railroad see TEAM page 12