Travis County Bond GEC

Project Purpose

In November 2017, voters in Travis County approved a bond program funding transportation improvements. As part of the Travis Transportation Partners joint venture, KFA is providing General Engineering Consulting (GEC) services to the County for implementation of this approximately $275 million bond program.

Project Approach

Led by KFA team members Joe Cantalupo, AICP, Ryan Bell, PE, and Pete Ring, PE, we have helped the County manage its program of 20+ roadway and drainage projects in the 2017 bond program.

• Cost Estimate Review: One of our first assignments was to provide an independent estimate of project costs for the projects listed in the bond program. These costs were then used to develop an annual spending plan for the County to distribute bond funds. KFA visited each project site to estimate project limits and major items of work, also referencing desktop sources such as FEMA flood maps or GIS databases. KFA compiled this information into cost estimate summaries which included construction costs as well as engineering, GEC/oversight, ROW costs, and utility relocations.
• Atlas 14 Impact Assessment: In 2018 KFA provided an assessment of cost implications of designing the 2017 Bond Projects using the soon-to-be-published Atlas 14 rainfall depths. The purpose of the effort was to use the trend analysis to estimate budget revisions for remaining bond projects. By estimating Atlas 14 project impacts for previously constructed 2011 bond projects and using currently available storm data as a proxy for Atlas 14 rainfall data, we developed planning-level estimated impacts to project costs, right-of-way needs, schedules, and risks for the following project types: bridges, culverts, onsite storm drain, detention facilities, and parallel roadside ditches. The final product of this effort was a summary of assumed impacts and cost per drainage infrastructure category, for use in estimating budget impacts for remaining bond projects and securing funding to incorporate Atlas 14 requirements into project designs.
• Project Design Oversight: Our KFA transportation engineers have been responsible for overseeing consultant design efforts on several bond projects, including Wyldwood, Linden Littig, Fitzhugh, Hog Eye, and Tom Sassman. KFA efforts have included plan review at each stage of design, holding progress meetings with consultant teams, coordinating with Travis County staff in various departments, tracking key issues to mitigate schedule and budget impacts, and providing construction administration services.
• Construction Inspections: KFA also performed construction engineering and inspection (CEI) services for nine bond projects.

Project Results

Bond projects are currently in various stages of design and construction, with construction scheduled to be complete for all projects in 2024. Successful implementation of these bond projects reduces flood risk and improves safety and travel conditions for Travis County residents and workers.