At this point ARMA took control of the 2 toll projects (regional mobility authorities were given the right to decide to carry out toll projects in their region by the state legislature). In January 2007 an assessment was put forward and the FHWA authorised TxDOT to build the 281 tollway from Loop 1604 to Borgfeld. As a direct result, TxDOT and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) made an agreement to perform an additional environmental assessment (after four had already been performed). The project was suspended in 2006 after construction work damaged a sewer pipe. The bid was accepted with construction beginning on the Sonterra to Stone Oak section in December 2005. Zachary and Cintra of Spain put in a voluntary bid to build the 2 tollway projects in return for a 50-year toll concession. The construction was due to begin in 2003 but was halted due to a major cost increase. TxDOT announced plans in 2000 to upgrade the 281 to six lanes from Loop 1604 to Stone Oak Parkway and to build an overpass at the Borgfeld intersection. In the 1980s, the 281 was upgraded from a four-lane divided highway to a six-lane freeway in a section north of Loop 1604, although a lot of the road remained with four lanes. Details of Texas’s 281 North Toll project Short-term fixes that did not require environmental clearance were immediately undertaken. In February 2008, ARMA employed a consultant to prepare an EIS. TxDOT then uncovered a possible problem with an endangered species study and brought it to light in court.Īs a result, in October 2008, with the design phase 30% complete, the project was put on hold for a further three to four years until the environmental studies could be repeated under the leadership of Alamo RMA. In February 2008 a lawsuit was filed against the project by environmental groups Texans Uniting for Reform and Freedom (TURF) and Aquifer Guardians in Urban Areas (AGUA). Based on the final EIS, a preferred alternative will be selected in 2013. The EIS is scheduled for completion by 2012. The project is currently on hold pending the completion of a new Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). The construction work started in February 2011. It was, however, delayed as a further environmental review was required. In May 2008 Cibolo Creek Infrastructure Joint Venture, led by equity partners Fluor Enterprises, Inc and Balfour Beatty, was chosen to design and build the project, along with local firms HDR Engineering, Raba-Kistner Consultants, Guerra DeBerry Coody, Donze Lopez Public Affairs, Vickery & Associates, Bain Medina Bain, AIA Engineers and Pinnacle Consulting Management Group.Ĭonstruction was due to begin in late 2008 / early 2009 on a section from Loop 1604 to Marshall Road, with completion estimated for late 2010. The two-phase project is being run by the Alamo Regional Mobility Authority (ARMA), which has been working with the Texas Dept of Transportation (TxDOT) since 2007. The project will relieve congestion and increase traffic capacity. “The $330m project involves the design and construction of eight miles of road layout for US 281 from Loop 1604 to Marshall Road.”
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