Street Savvy

Downtown Houston Streets Receive Extreme Makeover

By D.Ann Slayton Shiffler

During the past seven years, downtown Houston streets have been undergoing an infrastructure and aesthetic facelift that is transforming the look and ambience of the Bayou City.

Last spring Contractor Technology Ltd. and Texas Sterling Construction Co., both of Houston, began ripping out sidewalks, streets and sewer lines, marking the beginning of the end of the almost $300 million project over 314 city blocks.

The final two contracts, which involve rebuilding stretches of Travis, Lamar and Smith streets, are scheduled to be completed by spring. Seven prime contractors have taken part in the project that has resulted in a grand transformation of downtown Houston, featuring below-the-surface infrastructure improvements and street-level enhancements that include new sidewalks, architectural and artistic elements, signage, kiosks, lighting, street furniture, signals and bus-stop shelters.

The Houston Downtown/Midtown Transit Streets project is funded by the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, the city of Houston and the Federal Transit Authority. The new infrastructure was designed to serve the city for at least the next 30 years, said John Mickelson Jr., senior director of engineering and construction and chief engineer for Houston's METRO.

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"The Transit Street program was the complete rebuilding of 14 major streets in downtown and midtown," Mickelson added.

He said that before street construction could begin, more than 25 mi. of water and sanitary sewer lines, 2 mi. of storm sewers and 10 mi. of trench and inlet drains had to be constructed. "Miles of electrical conduit have also been installed for new traffic signals and improved street lighting," he added. "And wider sidewalks with amenities make a more pedestrian-friendly urban environment."

He described the project as "unprecedented."

And Patrick Dewey, project manager for Contractor Technology Ltd., said: "It's more or less been a total reconstruction of the streets of downtown Houston. For this last phase, we've been removing the streets and a good portion of the sidewalks and then putting in new water lines and a new 12-in. distribution line that runs the length of the project. And there's a 4-in. main waterline to install. We're also putting in a new sanitary sewer, a new storm sewer and trench drains at each bus stop."

Dewey and his crews are working on the north and sound ends of Smith Street, completing five blocks at a time in "rolling block segments."

"The city has us limited to working on no more than five blocks at a time," he added. "So with each segment we move forward one block as the back block is finished." Dewey said his crews are working an average of 10 to 12 hours a day, six days a week. While an exceptionally rainy summer and traffic have affected the schedule, he said there are other factors to work around on a job of such complexity and magnitude.
He added that for the most part the project is going smoothly because his crews have been working for seven years and know what needs to be done and what to anticipate.
An equipment and supply yard at nearby Franklin Street has made access to equipment convenient. The job has required a lot of track and backhoes with breakers and hoe rams as well as dozers and front-end loaders.

While the current job doesn't require digging to more than 2 to 5 ft. for the drains and water and sewer pipe, the equipment needed on the job still gets a workout.

"We are working primarily with the 924 John Deeres, the 325 and 350 Caterpillars and the 316 Back Hoe loaders," Dewey said. "For the deeper stuff we may bring in a big excavator."

The process for each block is roughly the same. Crews mill off the asphalt and then come in with breakers to remove the paving. After workers reach the dirt level, they complete the infrastructure work, replacing the sewer and water mains as well as the inlets and trench drains. Once the new infrastructure is in place, the streets are closed up and 9 in. of flex base and a 9 in. concrete pavement are put down.

"It's a standard 3,600-psi concrete using recycled aggregate-basically the same specs that Texas Department of Transportation uses," Dewey said.

Almost all of the street, curb and sidewalk paving is done by hand using mixers and form pouring, and taking the streets to grade level is cumbersome work.

"There are always unknowns when you pull up old roadways," Dewey said. "Many times you have to be creative. There are numerous obstacles, and not everything you find is shown on the plans."

The Texas Sterling crew, which is currently completing the Travis Street segment, has found a variety of artifacts under the streets, including old trolley car tracks and sheet pilings from older building basements.

"We've had to pull out the original trolley track bed," said Williams Jones, project manager for Texas Sterling. "We ran into sheet piling from the original construction of the old Foley's building. We find a lot of fiber too that is not shown on our plans."

One of the biggest obstacles for both contractors has been assuring that the buildings and businesses along the streets can remain operational, with utility service always up and running.

"Special care needed to be taken around Foley's," Jones said. "We don't want to hurt their business. We have made some special concessions and we will work with them around the holidays. Something like this could shut a retailer down"

The Travis Street segment is different than other downtown streets because additional precautions must be taken near residences such as town homes and lofts.

Storm sewers and sanitary sewer lines are much deeper, in some areas as much as 23 ft. with pipes ranging from 22 to 54 in. in circumference. And intersections in the area are tough because of the fiber utilities.

"There are lots of challenges, but nothing that can't be worked through," Jones said.

Both project managers say it is satisfying to see the finished product, "It's much more pedestrian friendly and interesting for the person walking along the city streets," Jones said.

The end result lends a unique flavor to the streetscape. The new street furniture, street lights and bus shelters coordinate to create a distinctive artistic look that incorporates modern and historic features.

"Some historical bricks have been used in the parking lanes, and farther north more artists' concepts were brought in," Jones added.