SH 146 Expansion Project Wins Safety Award

[Houston, TX] – The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) was recently recognized at the 2024 Western Association of State Highway and Transportation (WASHTO) conference for their State Highway (SH) 146 Expansion Project. TxDOT was presented the Safety – Large Project award, for which RS&H was the prime construction engineering and inspection (CEI) consultant. 

The $217 million, 4.3-mile project included constructing a 2.1-mile-long express bridge, new frontage roads, widening the existing arterial bridge, and converting the existing four-lane divided highway to a six-lane facility with an access-controlled section. 

The project improves safety for the users who depend on SH 146, one of two hurricane evacuation routes for South Harris and Galveston Counties. Users range from residents, local business workers, and school buses to commuters and freight traffic associated with the Ports of Houston and the industrial plants in Texas City. The new express bridge and arterial lanes provide the reliability and increased capacity necessary for this evacuation route, and the express bridge cuts down on high-speed freight traffic from the local stream. 

With the new express bridge being constructed in a marine environment, corrosion of post-tensioned elements was a concern during design, as it could impact the structure’s long-term safety. The TxDOT Houston District worked with the Federal Highway Administration to address this by implementing the innovative Electrically Isolated Tendon (EIT) technology. This involved the placement of monitoring devices in the ducts of a post-tensioned bridge cap, allowing TxDOT to monitor the post-tensioned tendons for indications of corrosion, thus allowing for early detection and corrective action, enhancing long-term safety. 

“We are incredibly proud of the team for overcoming the challenges of this complex project and helping bring regional recognition to TxDOT,” said National Operations Leader – Construction Management, Kirk Fauri, PE. “Innovative design processes like EIT and others helped spearhead this project’s safety and sustainability.” 

“We are thrilled to have played a significant role in this project, and a big congratulations to TxDOT for their steadfast hard work and dedication over the last five years to make this project possible and dramatically change the local landscape and traffic patterns safely and purposefully,” said RS&H’s CEI Gulf Coast North Area Leader Paige LaBarr, PE. 

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