EL PASO, TX — Sundt Construction’s I-10 Connect team, led by Project Executive Rudy Elias, was recently honored with the We Build Texas award in the construction category. The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) and the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) created the We Build Texas awards to recognize their employees and the contractors who work together to produce excellent projects through difficult circumstances.

“It’s a privilege to receive the We Build Texas award for our work on I-10 Connect,” said Mark Soyster, Sundt Area Manager. “We are proud of the team for their collaboration with TxDOT to address traffic issues while also protecting the cultural artwork in this area.”

The $100 million highway reconstruction project added connectors to a series of highway interchanges along the I-10, I-110, US 54, and State Loop 375 corridors, improving connectivity on the existing roadway network. The design, environmental considerations, and construction in a constrained area near the largest U.S./Mexico Port of Entry required intricate synchronization and cross-country collaboration.

The project expanded US 54, I-10, I-110, and US 62, and included eight bridge replacements, one railroad overpass, five bridge widenings, and two new direct connectors. The project also widened I-110, provided separate truck lanes for southbound traffic going to Mexico, and provided multi-modal improvements along US 62, which has more than 1 million pedestrian crossings per year.

Sundt was challenged with minimizing interference with international traffic at the second busiest inland port in the state and worked within a very constrained area surrounded by businesses, residents, schools, a church, a zoo, and a state park. In addition to traffic improvements, the project team also worked to preserve culturally significant landmarks, such as the city’s first Hispanic school in the neighborhood park during the demolition and new construction of bridges.

The I-10 Connect project has received multiple awards, including the 2023 AGC Build America Award and the TxDOT Environmental Achievement award in 2019. During the past decade, Sundt has completed millions of dollars’ worth of construction in the El Paso region. Its GO 10 collector-distributor lanes project completed in 2019 has been awarded numerous awards, including the Build America Award. The company has offices in El Paso, Dallas, and San Antonio and over $3 billion of past work throughout Texas.

Sundt specializes in transportation, industrial, building, concrete, and renewable power work and is owned entirely by its approximately 2,000-plus employees. The company has 12 offices throughout California, Arizona, North Carolina, Texas, Portland-metro, and Utah.