With five major transportation projects in the neighborhoods of Denton, Texas, and a 30-million-gallon-per-day water reclamation plant, Sundt and the City of Denton work together to build for the future of the community.

Nearly 170,000 people call Denton home, with an additional 60,000 students attending the city’s two state universities, the University of North Texas (UNT) and Texas Woman’s University (TWU). The city has grown more than 20% since 2020, and its leaders have made plans for the roads, utilities, and water systems to keep up.

 

Building a partnership with transparency

The preconstruction phase and construction manager at risk (CMAR) delivery approach established an efficient and collaborative working team among Sundt, the City, engineering partners, and design partners.

“When I think about CMAR, I think of partnership, collaboration, teamwork, and open communication. Preconstruction set the tone for an open-book approach and strong relationship building,” said Sundt Area Manager Holly Horsak.

Sundt’s preconstruction team performs detailed constructability reviews to validate design intent, evaluate cost and schedule considerations, and identify risks. This allows the team to work with the client address issue in the design phase instead in the middle of construction. The review gave the City of Denton more insight into the project from an experienced contractor who knows what these drawings look like in the field. The team provided a set of design questions and recommendations to clarify details and support the engineer’s design. Working collaboratively with the design team and city, these discussions helped project performance while minimizing impact on residents, students, and surrounding businesses.

“Trust isn’t just given day one. It’s earned through a series of experiences where the client can sit back and say, ‘This could have gone the other way, but Sundt took care of us,'” said Sundt Texas Regional Manager for Water and Wastewater Matt Bothun.

 

 

30 million gallons of trust

Beyond improved roads, the city also is taking on a major water infrastructure project to increase capacity at the Pecan Creek Water Reclamation Plant.

The original plan was to add 5 million gallons per day (MGD) of capacity to the existing 21 MGD facility. After studying the plan, the Sundt team helped the city identify a way to increase capacity and avoid costly repairs to old systems. The new plan replaces the aging plant with a new 30 MGD facility. This sets the city up for future growth and increased reliability.

“The client had to trust that once we actually got into the estimate, we were going to hold the line at that number,” said Bothun.

 

A citywide jobsite

Sundt’s transportation work stretches across five projects in construction or in the design phase.

Sundt partnered with the City of Denton to revitalize roadways within the University of North Texas campus and its surrounding neighborhoods. The Neighborhood 2 and 6 project consists of full street reconstruction of 118 street segments while Neighborhood 1B consists of 22 street segments in north Denton. Both projects include road reconstruction with subgrade stabilization, asphalt paving, concrete curb and gutter, and driveway replacements limited to driveways within the existing right-of-way. The projects adhered to a holistic approach aimed at limiting future construction disruptions by replacing other aging public infrastructure within the limits of the project area. This includes replacing existing aging water and sanitary sewer lines, select stormwater infrastructure, limited sidewalk improvements, and street lighting.

 

 

Bonnie Brae widens two miles of road from two lanes to four. The project also adds water, sewer, and storm drain systems, traffic signals and streetlights. Its location near UNT athletic facilities requires close coordination around games, students, and traffic.

Two projects remain in design. Mingo and Ruddell will improve roads, utilities, drainage, bicycle and pedestrian connections, and railroad crossings east of downtown. Neighborhood 5B and Oakland Drainage will rebuild 17 street segments, replace aging utilities and add a detention pond.

Together, the projects reach neighborhoods across much of central Denton.

 

 

Taking action and calls from the community

Even when major construction is well planned and executed, it can still disrupt daily routines and contribute to construction fatigue within the community.

Rather than waiting for concerns to escalate, the team took a proactive approach. They created project websites and QR codes so residents could see where crews were working and understand the anticipated duration of the work. Team members also went door to door, responded to calls, and coordinated closely with the city, local businesses, and UNT. While these measures could not eliminate every inconvenience, they provided clear, accessible communication and helped the team respond quickly, listen to concerns, and adjust the approach when needed.

“Our on-site teams fielded many calls directly, helping reduce the burden on City staff. If we could take that off the City’s plate, it was one less thing they had to worry about,” said Horsak.

 

Showing support and showing up

On Scripture Street, a few blocks from the University of North Texas, the restaurant has served Denton, Texas, since 1985. One customer review described the place as “old-school cool,” and the restaurant’s website calls its journey from a simple fast-food menu to a full-service restaurant “a true American success story.”

During roadway improvements, the owner of Mr. Chopsticks shared with the Sundt team his concern that construction-related traffic would significantly reduce customer visits to the . The team listened and took action. “One day we coordinated Sundt crews to have lunch at Mr. Chopsticks to help support the restaurant,” said Horsak. It was a small act of support that made the restaurant owner feel heard and valued. It reflects Sundt’s commitment to the communities where we work and to the local businesses that help make those communities thrive.

With multiple projects and teams working across the city, community engagement gave crews a better understanding of who they build for. Sundt employee-owners volunteered with local organizations including Hearts for Homes, Love Pacs and Shiloh Community Gardens, while awarding grants to Giving Grace, Sleep in Heavenly Peace and more. Through its second annual charity golf tournament Sundt raised $150,000 for Denton County Friends of the Family. The team also supported local businesses and delivered a large edible arrangement to an assisted living facility following completion of construction in the area. Sundt, the City of Denton, and engineering partner Kimley-Horn, also held friendly donation competitions that built teamwork while supporting local students and organizations in Denton. The lighthearted challenges encouraged participation across all three teams and created additional opportunities to give back to the community.

Construction can be more than a disruption. When the builder cares, it connects communities, one project, one idea, one lunch at Mr. Chopsticks at a time.

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