Constructed in the mid-1960’s, the US 183 roadway in Travis County is a 4-lane divided highway that has received only minor improvements over the course of time, and thus, become an unreliable route for commuters. It also serves as a primary route to and from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport with an average daily traffic count of 60,000 vehicles. To reduce travel times and improve quality of life in the corridor, CTRMA executed a $743 million design-build project to upgrade US 183 from US 290 to SH 71 including three new, limited-access toll lanes in each direction as well as the conversion of existing asphalt frontage roads to concrete pavement.
Aguirre & Fields served as the Retaining Wall Task Lead for the corridor, guiding four teams in the geometric layout and design of approximately 100 retaining walls. Wall types included mechanically stabilized earth, spread footing, soil nail, and concrete masonry unit at sound walls.
Aguirre & Fields also designed four bridges including two mainline bridges, a pedestrian bridge over Boggy Creek, and the bi-directional U-turn bridge just south of Harold Court. The two mainline bridge design required coordination with CapMetro Transit Authority and TxDOT (regarding MoKan Corridor) to facilitate bridge construction over both existing and future railroad tracks. Additionally, the bridge over Boggy Creek was designed using unique girders to span the main channel of the creek where 100-year stream velocities reach an astounding 15.5 feet per second. This main span allowed new bents to be constructed with minimal disturbance to existing 24-in diameter stone protection riprap.
