US 281 North/Loop 1604 Interchange

Project Name: US 281 North/Loop 1604 Interchange

Project Location: San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas

Project Type: Environmental Compliance Management

Owner: Alamo Regional Mobility Authority 

Hicks & Company managed environmental inspections and permit compliance as the Environmental Compliance Manager for the CDA project to expand and reconstruct the US 281 North/Loop 1604 Interchange in North San Antonio. This included providing a full time stormwater and environmental compliance inspector throughout the pre-construction and construction phases from January 2011 through November 2013. The project involved construction of direct connectors from US 281 North to Loop 1604 East and West and from Loop 1604 East and West to US 281 South, as well as reconstruction of frontage road bridges along Loop 1604. The most challenging aspect of environmental inspection and compliance management for this construction project on the Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone was the frequent discovery of karst features, including caves, during drilled shaft and underground drainage construction. Hicks & Company provided the Project Geologist, who managed over 40 locations of karst feature discovery for evaluation for Edwards Aquifer protection and endangered species concerns, through closure of the feature discovery incidents in coordination with the TCEQ and USFWS. Over 100 karst features were discovered and addressed on the project. Hicks & Company managed a program of regular environmental inspections, regulatory compliance and construction phase environmental oversight, including weekly SW3P inspections, Section 404 Nationwide Permit compliance, Edwards Aquifer Rules compliance and Endangered Species Act compliance.