Ferrovial, through Cintra, its toll road subsidiary, will operate segments 5 and 6 of State Highway 130 (SH130) between Austin and San Antonio, Texas, for the next 50 years. This project represents a managed investment of 1.389 billion dollars.
Today, Ferrovial inaugurated segments 5 and 6 of State Highway 130, linking the cities of Austin and San Antonio, in Texas. The consortium headed by Ferrovial, through toll road subsidiary Cintra, which also involves Zachry American Infrastructure, was awarded the contract to design, build and operate this new infrastructure until 2062.
Rick Perry, Governor of Texas, presided over the inauguration ceremony. Also present were Rafael del Pino, Chairman of Ferrovial; Ted Houghton, Chairman of the Texas Transportation Commission; Mary E. Peters, US Secretary of Transportation from 2006 to 2009; David Zachry, President of Zachry Corporation; and Íñigo Meirás, CEO of Ferrovial.
The project, built as a public-private partnership with an investment of 1.389 billion dollars (about 1.064 billion euro) was financed with a bank loan, a TIFIA loan, and equity. As a result, these two new segments of SH130 were built at no cost to the US taxpayer.
Segments 5 and 6 of SH130 total 41 miles (64 kilometres) of toll road between Mustang Ridge, south-east of Austin, and the I-10/Texas 130, in Seguin, north-west of San Antonio. The new road is an alternative to the most congested section of I-35, the road that crosses the centre of the United States. Additionally, the new infrastructure will absorb the increase in heavy vehicle traffic arising from economic growth in Texas.
SH130 will be the first highway in the United States with a speed limit of 85 miles per hour (136 km/h). Drivers will be able to maintain this speed along the 64 kilometres of road since the electronic tolling system installed by Cintra eliminates the need for toll plazas.
Ferrovial Agroman, the group’s construction subsidiary, built the road in a 50:50 consortium with Zachry; with a budget of 968 million dollars, the project generated over 3,600 direct jobs.
About Ferrovial
Ferrovial is one of the world’s leading infrastructure and city operators, committed to the development of sustainable solutions. The company has 70,000 employees and operates in over 15 countries. Its main business areas are: Services, Toll Roads, Construction and Airports. The Company is listed in the IBEX 35 Madrid Stock Exchange and is included in the prestigious Dow Jones Sustainability Index, FTSE4Good and Ethibel indices. Ferrovial manages 407 Express Toll Route in Toronto, London’s Heathrow Airport, Chicago Skyway and Ausol toll road in Spain, among others. It also provides municipal services in many cities and towns in Spain and the United Kingdom.
