Integrating Right-of-Way Planning to De-Risk Texas Infrastructure

Trent Dewitt, Dunaway's Director of Right-of-Way, argues that the primary value of this discipline lies in identifying acquisition, utility, and stakeholder challenges before they jeopardize budgets or timelines. By synchronizing right-of-way teams with design and surveying experts, the firm aims to transform a traditional, linear process into an integrated strategy.

This approach recently proved effective for the Bethany Special Utility District in Johnson County. By initiating easement planning during the design phase, the team secured five necessary parcels and completed the CR 810 water transmission line ahead of schedule. A similar strategy was deployed in Pecos County for the FM 1053 relocation. Dunaway identified discrepancies in 40 property surveys during initial reviews, allowing for corrections before the appraisals reached property owners, thereby avoiding potential legal or negotiation bottlenecks.

Beyond individual acquisitions, the firm is applying this model to large-scale corridor projects like the US 380 widening. By centralizing access permissions and ownership data for surveyors and engineers, the firm eliminates redundant research and ensures all teams operate from a single, accurate source of information. This proactive coordination replaces the conventional view of right-of-way as a standalone hurdle, positioning it instead as an essential component of project engineering.