WACO, TX — AtkinsRéalis Group Inc., a fully integrated professional services and project management company with offices around the world, announces that it has been awarded a four-year, $18 million contract by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to provide Construction Engineering and Inspection Services (CE&I) for an interstate highway project in Waco, Texas. AtkinsRéalis has provided CE&I services on three other interstate projects for the state, two of which are currently ongoing.

"Earning repeat business from long-standing clients and helping them reimagine, redesign, and re-energize highway infrastructure that meets current and future needs is what we mean when we say AtkinsRéalis is engineering a better future for our planet and its people," said Ian L. Edwards, President and Chief Executive Officer, AtkinsRéalis. "A robust transportation network is crucial for connecting communities and supporting economic prosperity."

In partnership with TxDOT, AtkinsRéalis and its subconsultant partners will provide overall project administration on the job, including day-to-day management of construction inspection, material testing, and project documentation. The $263 million project widens nearly 3.3 miles of Interstate 35 (I-35) to eight lanes and reconstructs interchanges and frontage roads to reduce congestion and meet future demand. This is the first complete rebuild of the roadway since it was first constructed in the 1960s.

"Relationships and real-world expertise are the keystones of our CE&I services," said Steve Morriss, President, U.S., Latin America, and Minerals & Metals, AtkinsRéalis. "We have a deep bench, including 27 former TxDOT employees on our team, with the vast technical know-how necessary to solve issues before they become problems and maintain TxDOT's production goals and high-quality standards on one of its premier projects."

Upgrading the highway is a priority for the City of Waco, State of Texas, the Federal Highway Administration, and U.S. Department of Transportation. Forty-five percent of Texans live along the 505-mile I-35 corridor within the state boundary lines. The 1,569-mile roadway is the largest interstate connecting Canada and Mexico. The majority of Mexico's trade with the U.S. and Canada traverses IH 35 via commercial trucks, valued at approximately $750 billion in goods annually.

AtkinsRéalis has provided CE&I services on a wide range of TxDOT projects, helping enhance safety and relieve congestion on some of the state's most heavily traveled highways including the $606 million CapEx North project along an interstate in Austin, TxDOT's largest design-bid-build project let to date. The company has been providing CE&I services in the Lone Star State for more than 20 years, beginning with the Central Texas Turnpike System in 2002. Additionally, AtkinsRéalis provides CE&I services to state DOTs and transportation authorities in Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Missouri, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Washington, and Puerto Rico.