DFW Connector Design-Build Success StoryPresented to the American Association of State Highway and Transportation OfficialsSam E. Swan, P.E.August 2, 2011

• Developer: NorthGate

Constructors• $1.02 billion design-build project • Contract executed October 6, 2009• Work began Feb. 17, 2010• 42 percent of contract earned

($396 million of $931 million in

construction as of May 2011)• 37 percent of schedule completed

(622 out of 1,702 days as of May

2011)• Estimated completion: 2014

Project Overview

City ofGrapevine

City ofCoppell

Town ofSouthlake

City ofColleyville

SH

121

FM

2499

SH

26 SH

114

SH

121SH

360

SH

114 635

City ofIrving

DFW International Airport

Project Overview

Tarrant CountyDallas CountyCity of GrapevineCity of CoppellCity of ColleyvilleCity of IrvingCity of EulessTown of Flower MoundTown of Southlake D/FW International AirportDARTThe TRTC & NCTCOGFHWAFAAUSACEGrapevine Mills MallBass Pro ShopGaylord TexanBaylor Hospital

Project Overview

2011 Work - Current

• 16 bridges under construction simultaneously– Major direct connectors: Eastbound 114/121 to 121

north, northbound 121 to westbound 114, eastbound 114 to southbound 121

• First new permanent pavement opened in temporary configuration, late 2010

• Utility relocations ongoing• North Entrance at DFW Airport

– Keeping traffic moving into third-busiest airport in the world

Innovations Used

• Design Task Forces– Weekly meetings– Best technical solutions– Designer/contractor/owner-TxDOT/stakeholder

participation– Coordination between design and construction

• Phasing of the Project– Started during the procurement– Focused on:

• Maintaining existing capacity

• Creating large efficient work areas

• Minimizing full freeway closures

• Minimizing ROW and Utility conflicts

• Creating work areas unaffected by traffic

• Creating temporary configurations better than existing

– Organized by block: • Break the mega-project into manageable pieces.

Innovations Used

Block Phasing

• 3-D Design– Better visualization– Identify and eliminate conflicts– Tied to our P6 schedule with Synchro– Able to download directly into our GPS

controlled equipment

Innovations Used

• Construction– GPS grade control equipment– Conduits for water and lime into the median– Electronic tracking of equipment, trucks and

materials

Innovations Used

Innovations Used

• ProjectOne– Microstation and

InRoads files organized by discipline

– Effectively find and view files and project-specific training videos

Innovations Used

• Microstation/ InRoads– Integrates tools

specifically designed for quantity takeoffs, work plans, strip maps, and more

Innovations Used

• InRoads corridor modeler

• 3D view of model components

Innovations Used

• Trimble Business Center– Directly

imports model data and converts to machine control files

Innovations Used

• Trimble Business Center– Used to visualize data,

assist and help "QC" (quality control) the model

– Models loaded into "rovers" and installed on equipment

– Excavators– Dozers– Blades

Innovations Used

Quantity Takeoffs

Innovations Used

3-D Quantity Takeoffs

Innovations Used

• Truck and Material Tracking

Innovations Used

• Trakit GPS– Mobile devices placed in trucks

• Ability to see the location of the trucks in real time• Ability for managers to track cycle times and look

for bottle necks

Innovations Used

• Material Tracking– Integrated suppliers

• Integrated electronic tickets

– Weight reconciliation• NorthGate owned and operated truck scale• Material trucks weighed once they leave the quarry

and again when they arrive at NorthGate

– FiveCubits - Kiosk Overview.ppsx

Innovations Used

• Unattended Weighing Systems

Innovations Used

• Wireless Paving– Leica

GeoSystems• First used by

Kiewit in 2003

• Eliminates wire or string line

• Improves access and safety

Innovations Used

• TxDOT Field Technology– IPads/Tablets

• Verify paperwork, inspections, quantities in the field• Timely• Shorter review times• Eventual GPS link to design documents• Onsite verification of field work as designed

Innovations Used

• Track Mounted Crushing Equipment– Mobile Crushers

• All crushed materials to be used as base material for concrete paving

• Reduced trucking cost

Innovations Used

• Concrete Batch Plant

• Public Information– Mobile App (in development, first for TxDOT)– E-alerts, weekly/monthly project updates– Business owners’ task force– Business access coordination– Project website stats (May 2011)

• 241,492 total visits• (high of 41,081 visits in January 2011)• 693 average daily visits• (high of 1,325 average visits, January 2011)

Innovations Used

Stakeholders affected by the DFW Connector:

Benefits of a PI Team on a design-build project:

• Tarrant and Dallas County• Cities: Grapevine; Southlake, Irving,

Coppell, Colleyville, Euless, Flower Mound

• D/FW International Airport• DART• The T• RTC & NCTCOG• FHWA• FAA• USACE• Grapevine Mills Mall• Bass Pro Shop• Gaylord Texan Hotel• Baylor Hospital• 300,000 daily commuters• Business community

• Onsite-integrated team – Owner led with close interaction from

TxDOT

– Attend weekly meetings

– Obtain up-to-date schedule/design information

• Sharing information– Share quickly changing information with

stakeholders in a timely manner

– Assists with their planning

– Know what’s coming

• Community partnering– Maintain a presence within the

community

• Timely mitigation of issues

Public Information

• Documented public feedback since December 2009 through April 2011: (percentage of complaints vs. commendations)

• Complaints: 61%• Commendations: 39%• Percentages flipped in last few months as

construction has intensified

Public Opinion

DFW Connector ProjectTxDOT-NorthGate Partnering

• Partnering between NorthGate and TxDOT started before construction

• Open door policy

• Open and transparent communication

• Weekly discipline task force meetings between NorthGate and TxDOT

Working Together

• Independent facilitator with quarterly meetings

• Proactive vs. reactive approach

• Participation from all project personnel– TxDOT and NorthGate

• Identify issues needing escalation

Task Force Partnering

• Quarterly activities:– Project survey to assess the success of agreed

upon goal areas– Review and revision of individual task force

action plans– Analysis of “rocks in the road”

• Identify issues needing escalation

Task Force Partnering (con’t.)

• Issues identified and handled quickly before they become larger issues

• Issues follow a standard project escalation method

• Weekly task force leaders meeting to identify potential areas of concern

Issue Resolution

• Senior project management– NorthGate – TxDOT– FHWA

• Issue identification and partnering from a senior level

Executive Partnering

Project Quantities - Fun Facts

• 2.1 million cubic yards of embankment (dirt)– Would fill the Dallas Cowboys stadium 20 feet

deep

• 1.6 million square yards of concrete paving– 170 times the area of the American Airlines

center

• 130,000 linear feet drainage– 400 times the length of a football field

Additional Project Quantities

• 600,000 square yards of concrete removed• 550,000 square yards of asphalt removed • 47 bridges• 380,000 tons of asphalt• 740,000 square feet of Mechanically Stabilized

Earth (MSE) walls• 2.9 million cubic yards of excavation

Visit our website:www.dfwconnector.com