A joint venture between Turner Construction and AECOM Hunt has been tapped to lead the $3.8 billion expansion of Dallas’ Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, a transformative project that promises to reshape downtown and boost Dallas’ standing as a global events hub. 

The construction manager-at-risk contract was given by the City of Dallas after several bids were received.  The Turner-AECOM Hunt JV is part of one of the biggest public investments the city has ever made. The companies have years of experience working on big projects like the Intuit Dome and the Fort Worth Convention Center.

The way this project's finances are set up shows how carefully city officials planned it.  The convention center, which was approved by Proposition A in 2022, will be mostly paid for by hotel taxes. This way, Dallas can take advantage of its strong tourist industry without putting too much of a strain on property taxpayers. 

The City of Dallas has stressed the project's long-term economic benefits in presentations and papers for public planning.  

Officials say that the extension could bring more people to conventions, bring in events from around the world, and help local businesses.  With extra help from state law, Dallas can keep these tourism-related tax revenues to use only for big infrastructure projects.

In line with Dallas' goals for equity, the local company Trinity Alliance has been chosen to help with construction management.  The move focuses on building up the workforce and bringing people together in the neighborhood, making sure that local contractors can help with the construction. The project has 2.5 million square feet of modern space with meeting rooms, green spaces, show halls, and better infrastructure around the outside.

Even though it won't be finished in time, the new convention center was planned to take advantage of the fact that Dallas will be the host city for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.  The city hopes that the extra attention from around the world will bring more tourists and help the economy grow in the long run. 

Turner's growing list of projects includes the $780 million soccer stadium in New York City and AECOM's leading role in planning the infrastructure for the Olympics in Los Angeles.  Their work together in Dallas comes after their ongoing work on the expansion of the Fort Worth Convention Center, which was also supported by public funding and community input.