The Dallas-Fort Worth area (DFW) and the DFW Connector Project Manager Sam. E. Swan were recently recognized by the White House as “Champions of Change: Rebuilding America’s Infrastructure.” The Champions of Change are Americans who come up with innovative ways to improve their communities such as by creating jobs and developing projects to improve America’s infrastructure. Using public-private partnerships to identify solutions to transportation challenges encompasses all the qualities of a “Champion of Change”.

“On behalf of the entire DFW Connector project team, I am deeply honored. State transportation agencies don’t typically come to mind when thinking about organizations that embrace change and come up with bold, new ideas,” Swan said. “The DFW Connector project has elevated expectations and established the standards of success and excellence for transportation projects across the state and county.” You can read Sam Swan’s full response to receiving the award here.

North Texas faced a difficult challenge in reducing the notoriously jammed traffic of 175,000 daily commuters surrounding the north entrance of the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, the eighth busiest airport in the world. Time constraints and lack of funding only added to the problem.

The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) needed $1.1 billion in addition to the $260 million in federal stimulus funds it received to complete the highway expansion project, and fast. The Connector Project used a new project delivery method called Design Build. Design Build relies on one point of contact for the entire project, minimizing risk for the project owner and developer and speeding up the delivery by overlapping the design and construction phases.

TxDOT selected NorthGate Constructors as the project contractor thanks to the company’s proposed use of new technology, integrated public outreach campaign, cutting-edge construction methods and aggressive schedule. The success story of the Connector Project is an example of how public-private partnerships can help provide funding for much-needed transportation projects and incorporate creative problem-solving into the transportation infrastructure industry.

“Although construction on the project will not be completely finished until 2014, project stakeholders and commuters are already considering the DFW Connector a success. TxDOT and NorthGate Constructors’ dedication to transparency and teamwork has put the DFW Connector project on that path to success,” Swan said. “As a result, the DFW Connector project serves as an innovative model for transportation projects nationwide.”

The Dallas Fort-Worth area has been an example nationwide for transportation improvements through their use of public-private partnerships that combine tax dollars with private investment to secure the funds necessary for essential highway expansion projects. Texas should continue to use these innovative approaches to develop long-term solutions to meet the state’s growing transportation needs.

You can watch TSRT’s video highlighting North Texas’s success in road building innovations here.

Congratulations Sam!