The Dallas North Tollway is a 32-mile expressway between downtown Dallas, Texas, and its surrounding cities. It is also one of the most congested tolled roads in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
To alleviate this issue, the North Texas Tollway Authority bid out a project to widen its northbound and southbound lanes and to improve the direct connector ramps from the Dallas North Tollway to President George Bush Turnpike. MCM Construction and Austin Bridge & Road were awarded the bid; however, the two companies soon realized that they could not expand the roadway without first demolishing the existing walls and bridge structures.
As a solution, Oscar Orduño Inc.—an earth retention company based in the Dallas-Fort Worth area—was hired as third general contractor to build temporary walls to support the existing roadway. There are only a few companies based in Texas, such as Oscar Orduño Inc., that build temporary retention systems for highway expansions as well as permanent retaining walls and construct underground structures.
The project required extensive coordination with the demolition activities from MCM Construction and Austin Bridge & Road. Oscar Orduño Inc. had up to three crews and construction equipment working on the project. Crew members used several Doosan DX225LC-5 excavators, a DX300LC-5 excavator and DL200-5 wheel loaders. The company purchased the Doosan construction equipment from its local dealer—R.B. Everett and Company—to keep the project on schedule.
Working alongside active traffic lanes, Doosan DX225LC-5 and DX300LC-5 crawler excavators were used to reach up and over an existing wall to install the temporary retention systems. They were equipped with a hydraulic breaker and a bucket to demolish limestone as well as install permanent rock nail anchors and temporary shotcrete fascia for rock nail walls and shaft walls. Doosan DL200-5 wheel loaders, including tool carrier iterations, were instrumental in moving and transporting demolition material off the jobsite. The tool carriers were paired with pallet forks to efficiently transport materials on the jobsite.
While the important infrastructure project did not come without its challenges, Oscar Orduño Inc. was able to complete its portion of the project in Spring 2018.
