Chip Picheloup

Project Manager

Stacy Witbeck

“The number of megaprojects that are underway or soon to be underway in Austin is the talk of the town,” says Picheloup. “Infrastructure projects are active everywhere across [the city].”

Among the highest profile projects in the area are the Capital Express North and South projects, which are part of the Texas Dept. of Transportation Mobility35 program. Interstate 35—which bisects Austin—has “long been notoriously overcrowded with commuters … a situation that has worsened with the recent population surge,” he says.

To help ease congestion, the two Mobility35 projects will add managed lanes in each direction north and south of central Austin. Picheloup says the agency has also released the first few in a series of projects that make up the Capital Express Central project, which aims to remove the upper deck of I-35 in central Austin and lower the entirety of the highway below grade.

Austin-Bergstrom International Airport is undergoing a massive transformation through its “Journey with AUS” program. “The airport has long operated beyond its capacity, and this series of projects aims to increase capacity to accommodate the city’s growth and popularity amongst visitors,” Picheloup says. It includes terminal expansion, a new baggage handling system, parking garages and an arrivals and departures hall as well as other infrastructure. Initial projects are already underway, with the series of projects estimated to be complete in 2030.

“The Austin convention center is also scheduled for a major redevelopment and expansion that aims to make it a more attractive space for conferences and events,” Picheloup says. The expansion plans to increase the size of the facility to 620,000 sq ft from 365,000 sq ft.

Following voter approval in 2020 of funding for Proposition A for Project Connect, the Austin Transit Partnership was established to plan, design, construct and implement a light rail program in Austin.

“Although there have been bumps along the road, [the partnership] has had excellent progress in making this project a reality by selecting a delivery partner [AECOM-led team LINC Austin], releasing the draft environmental impact statement for public comment and now actively engaging the contracting community ahead of procurement of the light rail contractor,” Picheloup says about the progressive design-build project. Austin Rail Constructors—a joint venture of Stacy Witbeck and Sundt—is pursuing the project.

“The 9.8-mile light rail system will transform Austin by meeting people where they are and taking them to where they want to go,” he says. “It will give

Austinites a much-needed alternative to driving that will help ease congestion.”

The new light rail, scheduled to be operating by 2033, is not without controversy. It “continues to dominate the news cycle as lawsuits and the state legislature try to hamper progress of the project that was voted on and approved by the people of Austin,” Picheloup says. “The project has significant momentum, however, and is the keystone infrastructure piece for a series of local efforts with the goal of densifying Austin.”

“We expect it to stay very busy for the next several years.”

—Chip Picheloup, Project Manager, Stacy Witbeck

In addition to infrastructure, “there are multiple tower cranes downtown as well, indicating that commercial is also active, including constructing the tallest building in Texas [the Waterline],” he says. “Another booming sector is tech manufacturing facilities for private owners.”

With so much work underway, Picheloup says contractors have major concerns about the size of the local workforce.

“Austin has never experienced this volume of construction work, and with so many major projects occurring concurrently over the next several years, development of a skilled local workforce is a significant challenge,” Picheloup says. He points out that the issue was foreseen and that “major efforts are underway locally to launch an infrastructure academy with support from local business leaders that will tackle the challenge.”

Stacy Witbeck has been very busy recently, completing the McKalla Station in front of Q2 Stadium, a soccer facility on

Capital Metro’s Red Line commuter rail system. Modern Railway Systems, a wholly owned company subsidiary, also has completed Capital Metro’s Lakeline to Leander project as part of the Red Line Improvements.

“The construction business is booming in Austin and is busier than ever,” Picheloup says. “We expect it to stay very busy for the next several years as local and state agencies continue to [move projects forward] from development into construction and [as] people continue to relocate to Austin.”