Halff Collects Two APWA-TX Awards

RICHARDSON, Texas — Two Halff projects earned Public Works Project of the Year awards from the American Public Works Association (APWA) Texas chapter. The Bastrop State Park Dam won the award in the historical restoration/preservation $5 million to $25 million category, while the RM 620/Round Rock Avenue Grade Separation and Roundabout received the honor in the transportation $25 million to $75 million category.

After an embankment failed in 2015, Halff and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) began developing conceptual solutions to reconstruct the Bastrop State Park Dam. The final dam design consisted of a structural fill earthen embankment with a bentonite slurry cut-off wall to control seepage. During flood events, the dam was designed to be overtopped and stabilized on the downstream slope with stepped roller-compacted concrete with a stilling basin, dissipating the hydraulic jump and lowering flow velocities.

Bastrop State Park Dam.

Halff continued supporting TPWD throughout the construction phase by providing services that included responding to RFIs and submittals, reviewing change orders, monthly invoicing from the contractor, project closeout, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) compliance and record drawings. The Halff project team also provided biological monitoring for the endangered Houston toad as required by the USACE permit and engineering support to review contractor construction of the embankment foundation and slurry wall.

Bastrop State Park Dam received an ACEC Texas Gold Medal in the water resources category in 2023 and was recently recognized with an ACEC National Recognition Award.

RM 620/Round Rock Avenue Grade Separation and Roundabout.

Through a multiagency collaboration, the RM 620 (Round Rock Avenue) project aimed to improve a major east-west arterial roadway in Round Rock, stretching just under a mile from Deep Wood Drive to Interstate 35. The project included widening the road, adding medians and sidewalks, constructing overpasses at key intersections, upgrading the railroad crossing, and improving storm drainage and water quality. It also involved reconstructing water and wastewater lines in a dense area with businesses, a neighborhood and Round Rock High School nearby.

Through a comprehensive process involving traffic engineering, public meetings and assessments of cost, constructability, right-of-way impacts, traffic operation, and environmental factors, Halff developed a final design that transformed the existing four-lane roadway into a multimodal facility. The project featured bicycle and pedestrian paths, overpasses for the Union Pacific Railroad tracks and a unique roundabout at the Chisolm Trail intersection. Jointly funded by the City of Round Rock, Williamson County and TxDOT, the project exemplifies successful collaboration in tackling complex infrastructure challenges.

About the Firm

Halff is an award-winning, employee-owned, diverse and multidiscipline infrastructure consulting firm that improves lives and communities by turning ideas into reality. For nearly 75 years, Halff has provided smart solutions for clients throughout the United States. The people-first firm is committed to continuously investing in its employees and fostering a culture of collaboration.

Halff has more than 30 offices in Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas. The firm was recognized as the 2023 Texas & Louisiana Design Firm of the Year by the Engineering News-Record. Halff is ranked No. 87 in the 2024 Top 500 Design Firms rankings by ENR. Halff is the No. 16 Top Workplace nationally in 2024 as ranked by Energage for businesses with 1,000 to 2,499 employees.