BROWNWOOD – During the 2023 Texas Transportation Forum, held recently in Austin, the Brownwood District’s Interstate 20 Ranger Hill Realignment Project was recognized with TxDOT’s We Build Texas Design Award. Jason Scantling, Director of Transportation Planning and Development, accepted the award.

The We Build Texas Project Awards, formerly the Texas Project Awards, recognize TxDOT engineers and designers, as well as small and large contractors who go above and beyond expectations. The winning engineers and designers are chosen due to successful partnering to complete projects that make a difference for the local community and motorists in Texas.

 

Project design elements include:

• A more gradual slope of 3.5% (previously 6%) and an approximate 1° curve allowing safe and efficient movement of traffic meeting current design standards
• Updating the banking of Ranger Hill from 8% to approximately 4%
• Two 12-foot main lanes in each direction with ten-foot inside and outside shoulders which provide refuge for stranded or stalled vehicles as well as availability for future expansion of I-20 to three lanes in each direction.
• Ascending the slope of the hill westbound, an additional third outside lane provides large trucks and heavy loads space for climbing without impeding smaller vehicles traveling at faster speeds
• Two-way frontage roads on either side of interstate main lanes improve access and incident response capabilities throughout the length of the project.
• 54-inch concrete barriers between east and west bound main lanes and also between main lanes and frontage roads provide protection from oncoming traffic.
• Braided, grade-separated entrance/exit ramps provide access to the westbound Safety Rest Area
• Improved visibility with continuous lighting throughout the project
• Extensive drainage system to collect and disperse water away from the roadway

Throughout construction, traffic was accommodated and maintained in two lanes in each direction by constructing the new main lanes approximately 500 feet south of the original interstate location.

The project faced the following environmental and geological challenges:

• Right-of-way acquisition involved 89 acres of heavily wooded area which was a habitat for Golden-cheeked Warbler and Black-capped Vireos. Migratory nesting seasons of October to March were considered when scheduling clearing and pyrotechnical work for excavation.
• Natural typography originally had a 300-foot elevation change in less than a one-mile span requiring 2M cubic yards of embankment and 1.6M cubic yards of excavation to improve the roadway grade.
• Immense amounts of shale and ground water discovered during geotechnical investigation required special accommodations to mitigate during construction.
• Advanced right-of-way acquisition and vegetative clearing in advance of the project were used to accelerate project development and improve bids, resulting in the project being awarded years earlier than traditional methods.

As the most expensive project in the Brownwood District’s history, the project also received immense support from the community, emergency responders and elected officials (including Former State Representative Jim Keffer and Former Eastland County Judge Rex Fields). The leadership of retired Brownwood District Engineers Lynn Passmore and Elias Rmeili, along with design consultation by AECOM, contributed to the success of the project which was marked with a ribbon cutting in May of 2022.

TxDOT congratulates Jason Scantling, AECOM, and our design team for a job well done.