Environmental compliance on a Texas State Highway
When US consortium Lone Star Infrastructure (LSI), of which Balfour Beatty Infrastructure Inc is a member, was awarded the contract to design and construct the Texas Department of Transportation's (TxDOT) 49-mile toll road State Highway (SH) 130, it was clear from the start that the complexity and pace of the project would present significant environmental compliance challenges.
The new path of SH 130 spans more than 2,000 acres including sections of protected habitat as well as waters and wetlands. Environmental reviews normally completed by the time construction starts were also carried out once works began. In addition, TxDOT's Exclusive Development Agreement (EDA) defined extensive environmental management requirements including 'zero violations' throughout the life of the project.
LSI's environmental team implemented an Environmental Management System (EMS) to meet these challenges. The system is tailored to the needs of the design-build process and to achieve certification under the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality's 'Clean Texas' initiative. Key components include an environmental policy, environmental quality control of design, environmental compliance inspection and reporting, an awards programme and an active community outreach programme.
The EMS employs a system which analyses new problems or old ones that recur with unexpected frequency and then implements improved operating procedures. Issues such as oil spills, right-of-way clearance, concrete washout and storm water, among others, have been addressed in this way. The EMS also produces weekly performance scores for roadway, earthwork, underground and structures components of the construction process. Staff can chart variations in performance over time and identify anomalies before they become problems.
Now in its fifth year, the EMS has contributed much to the environmental performance and development of systems to ensure environmental compliance on this major transportation infrastructure project. The scheme has maintained and exceeded a perfect compliance record under the relevant state and federal regulations, meeting 'beyond compliance' targets as well.
A number of state and federal agencies, plus national organisations, have recognised the SH 130 as a model for EMS applications. It is included in a forthcoming White House Council on Environmental Quality report and TxDOT will apply EMS requirements on three pilot highway projects to be let in 2007 and early 2008.