Austin Bergstrom Spirit of Texas Drive Rehab

Spirit of Texas Drive is one of only two roads within the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport campus
that connects to State Highway 71, serving as a vital thoroughfare for passengers and visitors. The road facilitates access to various AUS campus facilities, including AUS Retail, the cell phone lot, rental car staging lots, the cargo ramp area, Park & Zoom, the fuel farm, and two airport hotels. Additionally, it serves as the primary exit point for vehicles leaving the long-term parking lots. KSA was assigned under the AUS Architecture and Engineering Rotation List to evaluate and preliminarily engineer the rehabilitation of Spirit of Texas Drive, along with designing Phase 4 of sidewalk connectivity across the AUS campus.

KSA initiated the project with an on-site geotechnical investigation to confirm subsurface soil properties and non-destructive testing of the existing pavement, including falling weight deflectometer testing to assess the current strength of the Spirit of Texas Drive pavement section. Combined with a visual inspection and topographic design survey, the KSA Team prepared a Preliminary Engineering Report. This report outlined multiple rehabilitation and reconstruction options, including preliminary layouts, drainage modeling for improved storm sewer facilities, construction cost estimates, and construction phasing plans to maintain critical 24/7 access. The report also detailed proposed sidewalk areas with preliminary alignments, addressing any conflicts and accessibility concerns. KSA engaged with internal and external stakeholders during the preliminary engineering phase to ensure the proposed improvements aligned with the Airport's needs and met the requirements of all Spirit of Texas Drive users. Following approval of the Preliminary Engineering Report recommendations, KSA commenced the design phase for pavement, drainage, and sidewalk improvements. However, the project was placed on hold during the design phase due to the COVID-19 pandemic.