Fort Worth – Demanding Growth

By Riley Seahorn

Of the top 30 most populous cities, Fort Worth is the fastest growing, at 4.1 percent population growth since 2020 and the largest numeric population gain of any US city in 2022, according to the US Census Bureau. With that, there are many City of Fort Worth, TxDOT and developer-driven projects under way to meet population demands and improve the city’s infrastructure. Located on the Northside of Fort Worth, Alliance Town Center, a new shopping, entertainment, and residential development, is an example of the outward expansion spurred by the population boom. This growth created the need for expanded infrastructure and was the driver behind the 2018 City Bond for Streets and Mobility Improvements.

In order to handle the expected traffic flow in the rapidly growing Alliance Town Center area, the City determined that the two mile span of Harmon Road (a main thoroughfare in the vicinity) between US287 and Golden Triangle Blvd needed to be expanded from a two-lane roadway to a four-lane road with turn lanes and three integral roundabouts at major intersections with 10-foot-wide shared use sidewalks. Initially, the project was intended to be a public hard bid traditional selection, however after partnering with McCarthy Building Companies on a major infrastructure project (Hemphill Street Connector) near downtown that successfully demonstrated the benefits of Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR) delivery method, the City decided to use CMAR for the Harmon Road project procurement – awarding the work to McCarthy Building Companies’ Southern Region Civil Business Unit. 

Stakeholder and Construction 

CMAR delivery enables the owner, contractor, and engineer to align and work in partnership from early engagement through construction delivery, providing the best outcome for the client, community, and stakeholders. The first significant challenge of the project was sequencing construction to best fit the project constraints while taking into consideration stakeholders along the project corridor (developers, residents, businesses) as well as City Council directives on closing major and minor intersections. The main planning focal points were the phasing of roundabouts at Presidio Vista, Heritage Trace, and Golden Triangle intersections along with two water main tie-ins during the low demand season. The team worked together to prepare their approach to the critical intersections and tie-ins for key stakeholder and City Council approval–providing numerous phasing options with timelines and cost analysis for performing the roundabouts in complete closures, half closures, and quarters. Each sequence ranged from three months out to more than nine months. Stakeholders advised the team to proceed with a variety of closures subject to traffic detour impacts. Presidio Vista was to be constructed in halves, Heritage Trace in thirds (the west half as a full roadway closure and the east half split into two quarter closures) and lastly Golden Triangle in halves. 

Knowing the sequence required for each roundabout, the team created a detailed eight-phased plan. The existing roadway alignment provided a unique obstacle to the eight phases. The roadway from US287 to Heritage Trace existed on the future southbound lanes and the roadway from Heritage Trace north to Golden Triangle was on the future northbound lanes, causing a switch over at the Heritage Trace intersection. The crews had green fields alongside the existing roadways to begin construction without impacting normal traffic flows. Working both northbound and southbound lanes simultaneously, the project was able to progress the critical path through the roundabouts and utility tie-ins. 

With each roundabout being completed in its own phase, Golden Triangle Boulevard brought the team the second substantial challenge in overall sequencing and planning – two main transmission waterlines servicing countless residents would need to be tied-in under a 48-hour shutdown window. Construction started March of 2021 and was to be completed by early summer of 2023 – leaving the team with one low demand season, December 1^st to March 1^st.

Shortly after the notice to proceed was issued in March of 2021, three winter snowstorms within a two-week period crippled Texas roadways and electricity grid, shutting down supplier businesses and deliveries which multiplied pandemic-related supply issues. The storm caused unexpected timeline delays, greatly increasing lead times on various materials. The critical path of the project started in Phase 1 which was driven by the installation of various large storm drainage box culverts. Due to the storm impacts, the original material delivery was pushed out by a minimum of 11 weeks.

The project team was able to mitigate critical impacts to the overall project schedule by shifting phases and working on the Heritage roundabout which had minimal storm piping. This allowed the overall sequencing to change but still maintain the optimal window for the Golden Triangle utility tie-in. 

Water Works

The construction of Golden Triangle’s two main water transmission lines – Water Line A (24-inch water main) and Water Line B (36-inch water main) was a critical operation due to the complexities presented by the intersection itself. The two water mains had to be connected by a 36-inch butterfly valve inside a cast-in-place concrete vault – in the middle of an active intersection. Due to the Project’s phasing constraints, the operation was broken into two subparts to ensure traffic continued to flow smoothly along Harmon Road. Phase A constructed the Water Line A segment along Harmon Road from north to south splitting the existing intersection in half at the vault. Sequentially, Phase B constructed  Water Line B from the vault westbound along  Golden Triangle Boulevard. The team excavated, laid pipe, and constructed the vault for Phase A over a month starting in September of 2022. Quickly, the team swapped traffic control to construct the Phase B segment. It was critical that both phases be completed for the low-demand season due to one 48-hour window being allotted for the tie-in of both mainlines. 

Due to Water Line A tie-in point to Line B laying under existing pavement higher than the future roadway cut, the team had to excavate from existing ground 19-feet down to make the tie-in at the center of the future roundabout. This alone added a safety challenge and encompassed daily verification that the excavation remained sound,  verification of elevations at the current roadway, and addition of concrete traffic barriers (CTB) and asphalt to allow the public to commute past the work area with a buffer layer. At the time of the tie-in, all locations were excavated and ready to go once the city shut down the valves. Three different crews rotated between each tie-in location cutting, laying, and welding in the new pipe. The lines were pressurized and active under the 48-hour window, making this a pivotal moment for the Harmon Road Project’s overall success.  

CMAR – A Group Effort for Best Outcomes

As the project progressed over the next year, the crowded corridor continued to acquire new stakeholders and third-party developments performing their own construction work alongside the Harmon Road Project. Numerous developments–fire stations, expansions of apartment complexes, fast food franchises, and more–began construction and or entered a design phase while the Harmon Road Project pushed onward towards substantial completion. 

Coordination with franchise utilities became essential to ensure the project was able to continue without impacting the critical path. The entire team had a part in the coordination from synchronizing designs with new developers, to working with utility franchises to ensure no damage was done to the newly constructed roadway, along with working together to sequence their scopes prior to placing final pavement. Each party had a unique approach to accommodate what best worked for their project–from site walks to weekly calls for status updates, to helping excavate or holding back a pour to ensure the teams–both Harmon Road and the third parties could perform the necessary work needed to sustain the growth occurring along the roadway. 

Throughout the project, the construction team was able to work through ambiguities and challenges because of the teams collaboration and risk mitigation strategies within CMAR delivery method: 

• coordinating multiple stakeholders, businesses, and residents 
• mitigating unknown and/or unforeseen conditions 
• maneuvering through a highly phased project 
• leading the success of both public and private development alongside franchise utility relocations adjacent to the work 
• supporting the community through ongoing communication efforts
• McCarthy mitigating risks via allowances and contingencies and led as a partner and advocate to City of Fort Worth due to the project conditions
• continual communication efforts with the client and engineering team.

While overcoming the many unique challenges of this project, the team completed it on schedule with over half a million dollars in shared savings and unspent budgets. 

Riley Seahorn, Assoc. DBIA, is a project manager with McCarthy Building Companies Southern Region.