Texas Picks Zachry Team for Corridor Project

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DALLAS — The Texas Transportation Commission yesterday chose a development team led by San Antonio-based Zachry American Infrastructure and Spanish developer ACS Infrastructure to lead construction of the Interstate 69 segment of the Trans Texas Corridor.

The team shouldered out another Spanish developer Cintra Concessiones Infraestructuras de Transporte, which is already developing a private toll highway near Austin. The Trans Texas Corridor is designed ultimately to be a $150 billion network of tollroads and rails that will take the bulk of commercial traffic off the existing interstates.

The corridor project is expected to combine public bond money with private investment over the course of decades.

Gov. Rick Perry has made public-private partnerships such as the corridor a centerpiece of his transportation plan for the state.

The proposed ZAI/ACS master plan would develop the southern section of U.S. Highway 77 to interstate standards without tolling that portion of the road, according to the Texas Department of Transportation, which is governed by the Texas Transportation Commission.

TxDOT chose the ZAI/ACS proposal over one from Bluebonnet Infrastructure Investors, which included Cintra. Both teams submitted proposals to TxDOT on March 26, 2008.

“All of the planning work completed by ZAI/ACS will be done within the constraints spelled out by the Texas Transportation Commission and state law,” said TxDOT executive director Amadeo Saenz. “We will develop I-69/TTC using existing highway facilities wherever possible, and we will operate within the guiding principles the commission adopted in May. Today’s action by the Transportation Commission made it clear that our focus will be on planning for the statewide corridor and on bringing Interstate 69 to Texas.”

The contract includes the right of first negotiation for ZAI/ACS to perform work on certain projects.

Once the contract between TxDOT and ZAI/ACS is signed, the two partners will begin work on a master development plan and master financing plan for I-69/TTC.

TxDOT and ZAI/ACS will develop a specific plan for upgrading U.S. Highway 77 from Brownsville to Corpus Christi as an eventual part of I-69/TTC. That planning work would cost no more than $5 million, according to TxDOT.

“The ZAI/ACS proposal includes innovative plans that would finally extend the Interstate system into South Texas,” said Transportation Commission chairwoman Deirdre Delisi.

Under the framework provided by SB 792 during the 80th Texas Legislature, the local toll roads proposed by ZAI/ACS could only be operated with the approval of local government entities.

“This proposal moves us closer to building I-69/TTC. ZAI/ACS has shown that we can build this project while minimizing the need to purchase additional land and only limited, innovative tolling,” said Delisi.

Cintra last year was stripped of another major project by TxDOT after it had been awarded — State Highway 121 north of Dallas. The project was taken away after lawmakers intervened and awarded it instead to the North Texas Tollway Authority in a competitive bidding process.

Jose Lopez, Austin-based president of Cintra’s U.S. operations, said he bore no hard feelings toward TxDOT in the decision.

“We at Cintra look forward to continuing our work in Texas,” Lopez said.

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