Webber LLC is approximately halfway through the Texas Department of Transportation's (TxDOT) $189.8 million U.S. 59 upgrade covering 6.37 mi. from Shepherd to Cleveland to meet standards for a possible future designation as Interstate 69.
Construction began in 2023, and delivery is anticipated in the fall of 2029.
This section of U.S. 59, originally built in the 1950s, has two lanes in each direction separated by a grassy median and outer shoulders.
The upgrade has Webber crews constructing 5.77 mi. of frontage roads on either side and .59 mi. of bridges in a work zone from Farm-to-Market 2914 near Shepherd to the north end of the Cleveland Relief Route.
The project has several benefits.
"Adding frontage roads along this portion of highway makes it safer for folks to access intersecting streets and business driveways by moving traffic out of the main lanes," TxDOT Lufkin District spokesman Tim Monzingo told Construction Equipment Guide. "It also makes it easier for people to get back onto the highway using frontage roads instead of turning directly onto it from the side streets and businesses. It enhances mobility by allowing traffic to more safely and freely move along consistently in the main lanes."
U.S. 59 serves as an evacuation route for residents in Houston and other communities along the Gulf Coast. In 2024, the average daily traffic count was 31,184.
"As the population grows, so does the need to accommodate possible evacuation traffic in the event of hurricanes and other severe weather," Monzingo said. "It also provides a more efficient hurricane evacuation route and system connectivity to I-69, which is a 1,600-mile national highway connecting Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas. I-69 also provides access to inland ports and seaports along the Gulf Coast."
He noted that this section of highway is not yet part of I-69.
"The work will need to be completed," he said, "[and] then pass federal certification before it can officially be part of I-69."
State funds finance the project.
Ferrovial's Webber LLC secured the project on June 27, 2023, and, six months later, its crews and equipment were on site.
Progress has been considerable, according to Webber. The following benchmarks are completed: 90 percent of the southbound frontage road, including related bridge and electrical work and 30,448 linear ft. of drilled foundations were built, with 2,892 linear ft. pending for project completion.
The new infrastructure's lifespan is approximately 80 years.
This year's work focuses on completing the main lane roadway expansion. That consists of approximately 101,000 cu. yds. of Webber-batched Class P Concrete; main lane continuously reinforced concrete pavement (CRCP); and placing 15,600 tons of asphalt bond breaker and 4,680 tons of cement for base and dirt stabilization.
It also calls for the completion of seven bridges that includes approximately 41,800 linear ft. of Tx40 and Tx46 girders to be erected; approximately 306,830 sq. ft. of concrete deck to be placed; approximately 202,670 sq. ft. of in-house precast deck panels to be fabricated and installed; and the placement of approximately 6,300 linear ft. of single slope traffic railing and 19,600 linear ft. of slag-cement-cement-bentonite cutoff walls.
Benchmarks Met
Despite various challenges, Webber said it is meeting benchmarks.
"The biggest challenge the project faces is the ever-changing weather," Webber's project team said. "In Texas, this can manifest as extreme heat that affects concrete curing, heavy rainfall that causes soil instability and work-zone access conflicts or unexpected freezes that halt all asphalt work. These conditions can also degrade the quality of materials and increase safety risks for crews. To mitigate these impacts, TxDOT and Webber have jointly employed several strategic workarounds.
"To combat the intense Texas heat, crews often perform paving and bridge deck pours at night. This ensures that concrete does not dry too quickly, which causes quality concerns in the near term and provides a safer, cooler environment for workers. [In regard to] erosion and sediment control, the expansion area has a composition of sandy clays and silts, requiring aggressive stabilization to support interstate-level traffic loads in the future. The types of soil present the risk of future quality issues if left unmitigated, such as heaving and rutting that would eventually lead to issues in the future roadway buildout like longitudinal cracking."
To manage heavy rainfall and prevent soil washouts that could undermine the integrity of the new roadbed, sites are equipped with engineered drainage systems, silt fences and immediate seeding along established slopes.
For the frontage roads, construction focused on building the future southbound frontage road.
"This led to reconfiguring the traffic pattern to allow the team to shift the southbound main lane traffic onto the new buildout, thus opening up future main lane footprint," the Webber team said. "Other steps that have been completed include extending the existing drainage runs while also installing new drainage at the new intersections and driveway locations."
The operations are engineered to address the challenging local soils through a structured, multi-layer approach: site prep and excavation, as well as embankment construction.
"The main lanes sit on Ty C1 Embankment, which is built to a ‘density control' standard to provide a uniform foundation over the native clay," the Webber team said. "Clear zones 16 feet to 30 feet are being established from the edge of the travel lanes to ensure a flat, hazard-free recovery area. To stabilize the soil, the plan uses a rigorous subgrade treatment to combat the high-plasticity soils. The existing subgrade is treated with a 6-inch cement or lime treatment (Item 5) to chemically stabilize the soil. A 6-inch cement-treated base (Item 4) is then applied over the treated subgrade to provide a rigid foundation for the heavy interstate loads. And finally, a prime coat (MC-30) is applied to seal the base before paving."
The roadway uses a "long life" pavement design featuring multiple asphalt and concrete layers. The primary travel lanes are constructed with a 13-in. CRCP.
"Below the concrete, a layer of SP Mixes SP-D PG64-22 acts as a bond breaker and moisture barrier," the Webber team said. "The northbound and southbound frontage roads feature a 10-inch CRCP."
The earthwork and site prep fleet is anchored by specialized Komatsu and Cat dozers, excavators and other machinery suited for the area's clay soils. Several Komatsu D51 and D61 Intelligent Machine Control dozers are equipped with factory-integrated GPS.
Heavy Metal
The roadwork uses a range of excavators, including heavy-duty 50,000-lb. and 75,000-lb. units, such as Cat 325/336 and Komatsu PC210/360 equivalents for deep trenching, as well as mini-excavators for confined work.
Cat 140 motor graders are used for laying the cement-treated base and frontage road levels. Off-road dump trucks and multiple 25-ton articulated trucks, such as the Volvo A25 and Cat 725, move bulk earth and fill material across the soft, unpaved terrain.
Also on site are 175-hp wheel loaders for material stockpiling; a range of forklifts, including high-capacity 12,000-15,000 lb. units for moving heavy bridge components and pipe segments; and, for compaction and paving support, several 84-in. padfoot rollers that compact the "fat" clay soils by kneading out air pockets and moisture, a 20-ton pneumatic rubber-tire roller to seal the surface of the base layers and asphalt courses, and street sweepers used for the continuous cleanup of U.S. 59.
For the overpasses, the plan is to continue the Phase 2 build-out, leading to a configuration that puts all traffic on the southbound frontage roads and main lanes.
"This would allow enough workspace to construct the Phase 3 northbound frontage road coming late 2026," stated the Webber team. "The project utilizes prestressed concrete I-beam overpasses, which are the standard for TxDOT highway-over-roadway crossings."
The corridor's overpasses range from 225 to 450 ft. in length.
"Most structures are designed with three to four spans," the Webber team said. "This multi-span approach allows for the necessary clearance over the future I-69 main lanes and frontage roads while maintaining structural integrity. Each overpass typically utilizes two to three interior pier bents. Due to the expansive clay soils identified in the geotechnical reports, these piers are supported by deep-foundation drilled shafts (often 36-inch to 48 in diameter) that extend deep to prevent settlement or heaving."
These structures are being constructed at junctions throughout the Cleveland buildout, including the U.S. 59 at Red Road Intersection, the U.S. 59 at Regency Road intersection and U.S. 59 at Future U-turn overpass.
"Several overpasses are being constructed simultaneously, with girders and deck panels being prefabricated using offsite locations and drilling taking place," the Webber team said. "Depending on the length of the bridge, construction can take anywhere between 1.5 to three months."
The bridge and overpass work has operators using a variety of cranes, including heavy-duty Manitowoc and Link-Belt crawler cranes in the 100- to 125-ton and 150-ton classes, and multiple 60- to 65-ft. telescopic manlifts from JLG and Genie for overhead work on retaining walls and bridge structures.
Peak days have approximately 80 Webber workers and an additional 15 to 20 subcontractor employees on site.
Major subcontractors are Durwood Greene for asphalt paving, Third Coast for electrical and RDI (Texas Sterling) for drilled-shaft foundations.
Crews are repurposing 84,000 tons of concrete rubble into new flex base material for project needs, with up to91,000 tons of reclaimed asphalt to be repurposed by TXDOT.
In terms of new material, CEMEX is providing cement for stabilization and concrete batching applications, while CMC Steel is supplying approximately 19.2 million lbs. of reinforcing steel. Heldenfels is producing all 63,125 linear ft. of the concrete girders.
Webber has set up batch plants for concrete and asphalt.
"Conveyor belts, mixer blades and filter bags often incur continuous heat and friction from processing tons of aggregate," the Webber team said. "These repairs are usually scheduled during the few hours the plant is not producing mix, overnight, to ensure a fresh supply is ready for the morning pour."
Webber has onsite mechanics for daily preventative maintenance.
"The teeth for excavators and backhoes, cutting edges for motor graders and dozer blades are being worn down throughout the lifespan of a project," the Webber team said. "These repairs can take between two to four hours. Mechanics can swap these out during lunch breaks or at the end of a shift to avoid halting production. Tires for off-road dump trucks and hydraulic hoses for all heavy lifting equipment see damage from debris, jagged concrete from demolition and high-pressure cycles that lead to frequent blowouts or leaks."
