HOUSTON, TX — Global design firm, Stantec, announces that State Highway 288 Toll Lanes (SH 288) in Houston has achieved service commencement and is officially open to the public, serving approximately 190,000 vehicles daily. The firm served as the engineer of record and led the design of the $850-million project, which was developed through a public-private partnership between the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and the Blueridge Transportation Group, and built by Almeda Genoa Contractors.

The new 10.3-mile SH 288 provides a safer, more direct commute for residents of the Greater Houston area. One of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in the U.S., it is expected to grow 17.2 percent over the next decade. The project also provides additional capacity for hurricane evacuations and supports continued growth in Houston and the broader southern states.

“The expansion of transportation infrastructure does more than reduce travel times; it improves safety and strengthens communities,” said Susan Walter, Senior Vice President and Leader of Stantec’s Infrastructure business. “We’re proud of our work supporting Houston’s transportation network and serving its more than 7 million residents.”

To improve safety on SH 288, the Stantec-led team added 72 new high-mast illumination poles and relocated 16 existing high-mast poles to increase visibility for motorists. Other safety enhancements include the resurfacing of 77,000 linear feet of the corridor to improve driving conditions and barrier upgrades throughout the highway.

The project includes 40 new bridges with eight connector ramps to and from Beltway-8 and eight connector ramps to and from IH-610. The new infrastructure also features two direct connectors to Holcombe Boulevard near the Texas Medical Center — the largest medical center in the world — improving commute times for health care workers and supporting emergency medical response.

Tolling services for SH 288 are enabled through 69,500 linear feet of Intelligent Transportation System Infrastructure. The project also included the rehabilitation of 13 bridges for a total of 1.8 million square feet of bridge deck. The new Southmore Bridge over SH 288 was designed to include LED lighting through the corridor to improve safety, while pedestrian access connects the community to Texas Southern University.

The Stantec design team for the SH 288 project consisted of 143 design professionals and support staff, as well as 10 local subconsultants. The team completed a total of 8,354,380 submittals and 117 design packages in 12 months.