McKalla Station

McKalla Station was constructed to provide riders of CapMetro's Red Line in Austin, Texas, with a convenient stop next to the popular Q2 Stadium, home of their Major League Soccer team. The project was completed in under two years, to much fanfare to local residents. It consists of two main platforms, with several green areas merging the landscapes with the surrounding environement.

Work included a special event platform, a bus stop, bike stations with a repair stand, canopies, pedestrian paths, pedestrian ramps, stairs, handrails, guardrails, plaza areas, landscaping, lighting, surface area drainage, and a passenger track crossing. The job also included train signaling and testing, hardwall and wingwalls for a box culvert, and 2,000 feet of cast-in-place and precast retaining walls.

Of note was a shoofly track design during active construction. A 1,420-foot-long pour-in-place retention wall was built, and required the construction of an access road, yet easements were not able to be secured and threatened a one year delay in project delivery. Our team proposed the use of an innovative 1,184-foot-long precast gravity wall that we had recently implemented on a project in Seattle. The team coordinated with a precast company in Washington state to ship gravity wall forms for manufacturing in Texas. We were able to successfully manufacture and install the panels without any delay in schedule.  

Even with the shoofly track in place, tight deadlines and limited work windows presented significant challenges due to the proximity to live rail. Crews worked under specific track and time guidelines with a watchman/lookout. Shutdowns were brief and minimal, but through extensive collaboration all deadlines were met. We ensured continuous work coverage around the clock, sustaining project progress even when facing design roadblocks. Specialized crew members were flown in to support relevant project phases. Our precast crew from Washington supervised the placement of the precast gravity panel wall and guided local crews on efficient and safe panel placement. Additionally, a track crew from Utah was mobilized to support the placement of ties, rail, ballast, and fasteners. To meet tight deadlines, we utilized a state-of-the-art track welding truck that uses plasma gas to fuse rails. These innovative measures ensured we met the condensed schedule. 

The level of community involvement in the McKalla Station was incredible to witness. The colorful mural on McKalla Station’s eastern wall celebrates Austin’s rich culture and love of sport. The mural was conceived by local artist J Muzacz and included tiles created and placed by members of the community. The entire process was a collaboration with the end users of the station, a celebration of the importance of public transit.