Transportation Updates Hwy. 290 Project F[/caption]

1. Hwy. 290 Project F


Project F entails widening Hwy. 290 to five mainlanes in each direction from
FM 529 to North Eldridge Parkway. In early September, crews worked on setting bridge panels, installing storm sewer drainage and setting concrete barriers. Nightly lane closures are expected along outbound frontage roads in September. The project is 63 percent complete.


Timeline: August 2013-late 2018
Cost: $57.9 million
Funding source: Texas Department of Transportation



2. Bridgeland Creek Parkway extension


The completion of a 2.5-mile extension of Bridgeland Creek Parkway being constructed by the Howard Hughes Corporation was delayed due to Hurricane Harvey. The parkway, which connects Fry Road to the Grand Parkway in Cypress, is opened to traffic on one side, according to officials with Howard Hughes. It is anticipated to be fully completed in October. The road provides access to the newly constructed Bridgeland High School and Cypress campus of the Houston First Baptist Church.


Timeline: March 2014-October 2017
Cost: $14 million
Funding source: The Howard Hughes Corporation



3. Louetta Road extension


Harris County Precinct 3 completed an extension of Louetta Road as a four-lane boulevard from South Oblong Circle to the Hwy. 290 westbound frontage road in Cypress. The project fills in several hundred feet of roadway to serve as another connection of Cypresswood Drive to Hwy. 290, between Mueschke Road and Fairfield Creek. The project is completed, but crews are cleaning up some of the damage to the final earthwork, sodding and seeding from the hurricane, officials said. 


Timeline: Completed September 2017 
Cost:
 $1.4 million
Funding source: Harris County Precinct 3



4. Grant Road widening


Construction is underway on a Grant Road widening project from Old Kluge to Spring Cypress roads in Cypress. The Harris County Precinct 4 project will widen the road from a two-lane asphalt roadway to a four-lane concrete boulevard. In a complementary project, Harris County Precinct 3 is also working to widen the road from Old Kluge Road to Lakewood Forest Drive in Cypress.


Timeline: February 2017-first quarter 2019
Cost: $7.4 million
Funding sources: Harris County precincts 3 and 4



5. Huffmeister Road extension


Harris County Precinct 4 completed the design phase in August on a project to extend Huffmeister Road as a four-lane concrete pavement section from West Road to Hwy. 6 in Houston. The project is in the bid and reward phase.


Timeline: third quarter 2017-TBA
Cost: $2.5 million
Funding source: Harris County Precinct 4



6. Officials reopen portions of North Eldridge Parkway and Hwy. 6


After a slight delay due to recent rainfall, Harris County officials have reopened flooded portions of North Eldridge Parkway and Hwy. 6 connecting the Cy-Fair area to I-10. Find updates on the status of specific pieces of roadway here.







Why does TxDOT have to choose the lowest bidder on a project?[/caption]

How it works


Why does TxDOT have to choose the lowest bidder on a project?


When the Texas Department of Transportation needs work to be done on a state highway, TxDOT solicits bids from developers interested in providing labor and materials for the project. Interested and qualified applicants submit bid applications either online or on paper by the deadline. The bid application stipulates the cost of the project. By state law, TxDOT is required to choose the lowest bidder.


TxDOT spokesperson David Glessner said this state requirement is stipulated in the section of the Texas Transportation Code regarding bids and contracts for highway projects. This section states that “the commission shall award the contract to the lowest bidder.”


According to the TTC, the competitive bids for projects must be submitted for “the improvement of a highway that is a part of the state highway system” and for “materials to be used in the construction or maintenance of that highway.”


The lowest bid is chosen after the bids are read in a public letting meeting, or a meeting where the bid is publicly made available.


Glessner said there are a few cases that make a bid unacceptable. TxDOT can choose the second-lowest bidder if the lowest withdraws its application prior to the contract award. A bid is also unacceptable if its low cost is due to an incomplete project bid. 


The engineer for the project has a cost estimate for the project as well. If bids are significantly lower than the engineer’s estimate, then they are most likely deemed unacceptable, Glessner said.


All information on this page was updated as of 9/12/17. News or questions about these or other local transportation projects? Email us at [email protected].