DRIVING EFFICIENT MOVEMENT
EHRA Engineering prepared construction documents for Fort Bend County’s Cane Island Parkway from the FM 1463 intersection to I-10. The overall design comprised of one new major thoroughfare, conventional drainage, retaining walls and two 600-ft long bridges over Willow Fork of Buffalo Bayou. Improvements were made at I-10 and intersection improvements at FM 1463, including traffic signals and illumination. The new roadway consists of an extended four-lane boulevard concrete pavement with an accompanying sidewalk along the northbound lane. The project was constructed in two phases to accommodate for each side of the boulevard.
During the pre-design phase, EHRA performed a route study to determine the optimal roadway geometry to minimize impacts to adjacent landowners and wetlands while also providing the shortest bridge length to span the floodway. The new roadway provides a functional relief route for FM 1463.
One of the project’s unique factors comes from the number of entities that were involved in its execution, including Kinder Morgan, CenterPoint Energy, Enterprise pipeline companies and additional pipeline companies. Consistent coordination and communication proved to be imperative to the project’s success.
EHRA worked directly with Fort Bend County, TxDOT and the utility companies throughout the design phase of the project. Utility coordination was crucial because the roadway crossed numerous pipelines adjacent to the floodway at a skew. TxDOT coordination and permits were required since the proposed roadway ties to TxDOT on facilities on both ends.
Hurricane Harvey caused excessive flows within the channel during phase 1 construction. While the design incorporated erosion protection near the bridge, additional erosion control was designed during the construction phase to provide an added factor of safety.
PROJECT DETAILS
DESIGNED TO BE DURABLE
The bridge over the Willow Fork Bayou is designed using standard type TX46 pre-stressed concrete girders supported on standard abutments and interior bents supported on drilled shaft foundations. The bridge is designed per TxDOT Bridge Design Guidelines and Standards. Design loading is per AASHTO LRFD Design Specifications, current edition. The scour depths were calculated using FHWA guidelines.
PROJECT APPROACH
SET FOR FUTURE GROWTH
The project included a detailed hydraulic impact analysis for the Cane Island Parkway, which was performed in accordance with the Fort Bend Drainage District design criteria. Analysis included coordination with TxDOT to discuss design options for draining the FM 1463 and Cane Island Parkway intersection, such that it will correspond with the future TxDOT road widening project of FM 1463.
EHRA performed professional surveying calculations of the final approved alignment for the route and prepared documents for the acquisition of land for the road.
In a collaborative effort from all parties involved, the project reached a successful conclusion with the completion of phase two in May of 2021.
CHECK OUT THE PROJECT VIDEO:
