Texas DOT is looking at huge toll proposals for its "IH-35 High Priority Trans Texas Corridor" (35TTC). It involves 1,000km (600mi) of highway on new alignment north-south across the state from Denison at US-59 on the Oklahoma border to the Rio Grande River an the Meixcan border crossings at McAllen/Reynosa... MORE
Texas DOT is looking at huge toll proposals for its "IH-35 High Priority Trans Texas Corridor" (35TTC). It involves 1,000km (600mi) of highway on new alignment north-south across the state from Denison at US-59 on the Oklahoma border to the Rio Grande River an the Meixcan border crossings at McAllen/Reynosa in the south. the route parallels I-35 to its east by distances ranging between 10km and 60km. In its central section 35TTC will incorporate the TX-130 tollroad currently under construction on the eastern fringe of the Austin capital area. It incorporates in its southern portion near the Gulf of Mexico a part of the planned I-69 and on the eastern fringe of the Dallas area what has been called proposed I-37.
An I-35 study a couple of years ago by Wilbur Smith Assoc (WSA) for FHWA and six states of the stretch Laredo TX to Duluth MN concluded: "In nearly every urban area segment, the future year (2025) traffic needs cannot be met by lane additions in the existing right-of-way. In this alternative, additional needs are met by providing additional lanes through some combination of urban area relief routes on new location, or elevated/depressed sections on existing I-35." (pS-4)
35TTC responds to that by providing additional capacity in open country beyond the eastern fringe of development near Dallas, Waco, Austin and San Antonio.
Projections done in the WSA study showed that two-thirds of the 2523km (1568mi) or 1700km (1050mi) will need extra lanes. In Texas I-35 is 810km (504mi) long measuring just one of the twin I-35 routes through Dallas (I-35E). The separate I-35W through Fort Worth adds another 132km (80mi). The I-35 study outlined a plan to spend $10.9b (96$s), so pro-rated at $4.3m/km ($6.9m/mi) the Texas portion (37%) would cost roughly $4b. WSA estimated the present value of benefits at nearly twice the costs at discount rates higher than those now in use, so the project should be able to generate major toll revenues.
The study projected truck volumes for 2025 of 9.9k/day Dallas to Oklahoma City, 9.3k Dallas-Waco, 14.6k Waco-Austin, 18.1k Austin-San Antonio, and 4.3k San Antonio-Laredo at the Mexican border. All vehicle projections were 42k, 41k, 69k, 82k and 12.4k. (Table S-03, pS-8)
"Options to consider include provisions for larger truck sizes and weights as well as the option of special lanes for trucks. The location for these lanes can be a separate facility near I-35 or special truck lanes within the I-35 right-of-way." (pS-8)
TXDOT made a formal request for proposals late summer - due Sept 23. This followed an unsolicited proposal from Fluor Corp, the inveterate filer of private sector toll proposals last November. State law required TXDOT to seek competing proposals. But TXDOT took the Fluor proposal as an example of why it needed expanded powers - which it got in HB-3588. Russell calls it "the most revolutionary transport legislation to come out of anywhere in the last 40 or 50 years."
He says: "It gives us all of the authority and all of the power we need on a state level to move forward on the Trans-Texas Corridor, plus some."
TXDOT says its "current vision" is that the successful group will become "a long-term partner with TxDOT, helping the agency develop the Project on a multi-modal, multi-facility basis over the short-term, mid-term and long-term. The successful Proposer will be expected to create and manage a successfully phased development of the Project in order to achieve the goals set forth in the Implementation Plan."
Russell says he hopes to sign the contract or CDA for 35TCC by late 2004. It is aiming to complete a Tier 1 enviro permit by Nov 2004. That will involve going from a mile-wide (1610m) possible right of way to "couple of thousand feet" (610m) or about double the final 366m (1200ft) reservation. They aim for a federal record of decision (ROD) or acceptance of the envrio permitting before the contract is finalized.
John Bourne has been hired by TXDOT as project manager and to lead the 35TTC engineering effort on the state side. His record includes a senior position on the I-15 reconstruction project through the center of the Salt Lake City area.
Trans Texas Corridors (TTCs) are the brainchild of the current Texas governor Rick Perry. As described by him they were seen as 7,000km (4,000mi) total length and 366m (1200ft) wide crisscrossing the state north-south and east-west willynilly. Perry saw them as all providing for separate roadways for light vehicles and trucks, as well as new rail lines, local and express, oil and gas pipelines, electric lines and roadside commerce. In fact what will go in them will be what can be funded.
The Texas Turnpike Division of TXDOT managed to finesse the idea into something more financeable by proposing priorities and a staging of projects. The most urgent go first, and the most important elements are built first. Also the need to raise private capital puts some market discipline on the grandiose early concept, by focussing on projects and components that can earn net revenues.
Phillip Russell head of the Turnpike Division of TXDOT who is in charge of implementation of TTCs says he thinks the I-69 TTC (69TTC) will be the next corridor to go. "In a couple of years" he has predicted it will be "teed up." 69TTC shares with the 35TTC the first leg from MCAllen along US-281 about halfway north to San Antonio, where it turns northeast passing close by Houston on that area's northwest fringe, then proceeding north to meet I-30 at the AR, LA borders near Texarkana. There has long been planning for a new so-called NAFTA Highway, sometimes designated I-69 on this route continuing up the Mississippi valley joining existing I-69 in Indianapolis. It is intended to make for a higher standard and more direct connection Montreal, Toronto, Detroit, Indianapolis, Shreveport, Houston, McAllen, Mexico.
69TTC in Texas is about 1530km (950mi) in length, but excluding the far southern segment that is shares with 35TTC it is 1280km (795mi).
Legislation giving TXDOT the powers to build TTCs came into effect only this summer. Within a month the Turnpike Division had followed through and issued the request for competing proposals.
TXDOT has enormous flexibility. It can perform operations itself, or have a third party do operations either under its management, or under the contractor's, or have some mixture. It is still working out rules that will allow the proposers to reorganize in order to gain extra needed skills and capital up to the point at which a Detailed Proposal is submitted. In addition TXDOT can procure some parts of a CDA or contract project by conventional design-build-bid processes in parallel with developing the private contract. Shortlisted proposers are eligible to compete for such pieces of the project. TXDOT has complete control over the timetable, being able to run the process as quickly or as slowly as it wishes.
It may pay unsuccessful bidders in order to encourage bids. Bidders waive proprietary rights to the ideas in their bids, but TXDOT promises to retain some parts of the proposals confidential .
good idea from one person is not something to be discussed with another team. We will keep that -- those ideas confidential.
"We do have to reserve the right on general items and points of clarification -- being able to distribute those, post those on the web, and answer very broad-based general questions that will benefit and will be information needed by all participants," says Russell. "Under the legislation that was passed in House Bill 3588 we will retain the rights to the ideas that are submitted in detailed proposals. That's what the compensation is about."
TXDOT reserves the right to not proceed with any of the bids, or PQSs. All the selection criteria are laid out in admirable detail, suggesting the process is fair, open, and competitive. Weighting is experience 20%, the plan 50% and financing 30%. Procedures for protesting the contract award are laid down.
In the I-35HPTCC federal highway funds are being sought as part of the financing, so federal rules must be accommodated. TXDOT says it reserves the right to amend its procedures to satisfy the feds. It also has to abide by leftist state law providing preferences for "disadvantaged" and "historically underutilized" businesses - always fertile ground for frontpersons and other carpetbaggers.
HDR and HNTB are described as ineligible to propose for TTCs. Bad boys, they disgraced themselves through multiple acts, and flagrant examples of... working for TXDOT as consultants.
TEXISH: TXDOT is developing a whole heap of gobbledegook phrases and acronyms to replace simple english words. Proposers bid with a PQS or Proposal and Qualification Submittal (Texish for submission). They love them "al" suffixes. As well as submittals there are transmittals. Submittals must always contain a transmittal, known elsewhere as a cover letter. Next stage is an outline proposal or a Conceptual Project Development Plan or CPDP. The CPFP is about Financing. A contract is not a contract for TXDOT but a Comprehensive Development Agreement, a CDA. The word Development there is misleading actually since CDAs can cover way more than development - financing, tolls, maintenance, operations, turnback condition, and more. TXDOT's bidders are Proposers, not only when courting TXDOT, but after the nuptials too, when normal usage would call them contractors. Indeed as contractors they are Proposers for the duration of the contr... CDA. Perpetual Proposers it seems. PPs?
SEMANTICS: There's a semantic imagination gap at TXDOT. Misleadingly identified with I-35 the planned new highway nowhere touches that existing road and it will not be an interstate but a state designated highway. It duplicates existing I-35 but is to be located 10km and 60km to the interstate's east and makes different connections each end. While I-35 hits the Rio Grande at Laredo and Mexico's H-85 the proposed North-South TTC hits the border river well downstream and connects with Mexico's Highways 40 and 97. In Oklahoma I-35 connects with the interstate of the same designation. This new highway deserves a name of its own. Since it originates in McAllen it is the Mac-TTC. TRnews 2003-09-20
