PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Progressive design-build accelerates Port of Port Arthur second access point By The Burns & McDonnell Team
S treamlined port operations are critical drivers of economic vitality. Access to port facilities cannot depend on whether a train is moving through the railyard. For the Port of Port Arthur, that challenge extends beyond the tracks. A planned flood protection system by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) will add another access constraint for trucks and emergency vehicles entering and leaving the terminal, particularly when storm conditions require the flood wall to close. The Port of Port Arthur plays a sig- nificant role in Southeast Texas com- merce and in the broader U.S. freight network. With multimodal connec- tions to barge routes, railroads and highways, the port sits 19 miles from the Gulf Coast and midway along Intracoastal Waterway barge routes between St. Marks, Florida, and Brownsville, Texas. Its cargo oper- ations support petrochemical, refining, industrial, construction and manufac- turing supply chains that extend well beyond the region. Ranked in the top 20 U.S. ports by USACE, based on tonnage moved, the port specializes in breakbulk cargo such as forest products, aluminum and steel, along with project and heavy-lift cargo. These materials are distributed across the country. The port also con- tributes to national security logistics as a designated strategic military port, supporting rapid deployment of mil- itary forces and heavy equipment. The port is addressing these access needs with a new Railyard Flyover Bridge. The $30 million project will create a second entrance connecting two key streets in the heart of Port
Progressive design-build gave the port a way to develop the bridge with its designer and constructor at the table together.
Arthur, Texas. The 1,633-foot bridge, with 14 spans and about 2,400 feet of elevated roadway, is being designed to cross an active Canadian Pacific Kansas City railyard and a future USACE flood protection system. The new route is intended to separate port traffic from railroad activity and pre- serve access when flood protection closures restrict existing routes. Building that connection requires the project team to plan around infra- structure that has not yet been built, coordinate across agencies with dif- ferent requirements and keep port operations moving as construction advances. State funding require- ments also set a deadline for begin- ning the project, adding urgency to early decisions. For its first progressive design-build project, the port brought engineering, preconstruction and con- struction together under a single con- tract with Burns & McDonnell. Progressive design-build gave the port a way to develop the bridge with its designer and constructor at the table together. During preconstruction, the team refined scope and design criteria, estimated costs as plans developed and evaluated how the work would be built. The port reviewed proposed construc- tion sequencing and the cost buildup before committing to the next phase. “Using progressive design-build for the Railyard Flyover Bridge has allowed our team to move quickly through each project phase and will continue to as we move through
construction,” says Sean Clary, project manager in the Transportation Group at Burns & McDonnell. That sequence was especially import- ant for a project facing complex outside approvals and a funding clock. The Phase 1 preconstruction agreement was executed in January 2025. Design development, construction input and early procurement informed a guaran- teed maximum price in October 2025. The port executed the Phase 2 con- struction agreement in December, 11 months after the first agreement, and construction began in February 2026. The team also aligned project decisions with $19 million in Texas Department of Transportation allocations through the Maritime Infrastructure Program and the Seaport Connectivity Program. Funding reviews, documentation and approvals advanced alongside the design. TxDOT participated in project reviews so its comments and funding requirements could be addressed while design decisions were still being made. For port owners, the more useful question is what made that pace pos- sible. Early construction input helped identify how the bridge could be staged over an operating railyard. Ongoing estimates allowed scope and cost discussions to happen as the design advanced. Regular coordination with the railroad, USACE, local Drainage District 7, the nonfederal sponsor of the flood protection wall, and TxDOT brought requirements into the process
October 2026 — PACIFIC PORTS — 37
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