Leveraging its 125-year legacy, Southland Holdings is building America’s infrastructure of the future
With expertise spanning heavy-civil, transportation, marine, tunneling, and water and wastewater projects, Southland Holdings (Southland) is a leading US infrastructure construction company. Having delivered major, complex infrastructure across all 50 states, the company also maintains a global legacy through international project experience, bringing together deep expertise across multiple disciplines to build essential infrastructure that connects communities and supports long-term growth.
Southland was formed by uniting several long-established construction firms, each with a distinct and respected legacy in the infrastructure industry. These include American Bridge Company, founded in 1900 and renowned for delivering many of the world’s most iconic steel and bridge structures; Johnson Bros. Corporation, established in 1929 and recognized for its expertise in transportation, marine and industrial construction; Oscar Renda Contracting, founded in 1974 and known for its leadership in water pipelines and treatment facilities; and Southland Contracting and Mole Constructors, both legacy leaders in tunneling and underground construction. Together, these organizations form a diverse yet complementary portfolio of capabilities that underpin Southland’s strength today.
“Southland continued to evolve via a major corporate restructuring in 2023, when we became part of a publicly traded parent company, Southland Holdings, Inc,” says Tim Winn, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. “In recent years, we’ve focused our business strategy on our core strengths – heavy civil, water infrastructure, tunneling and structural work – while divesting certain non-core materials operations. Today, the Southland family of companies operates with a shared commitment to safety, integrity, teamwork, and technical excellence, delivering projects that strengthen communities and improve quality of life across the globe.
“Our 125-year legacy is rooted in the combined histories of our legacy companies, which together created a foundation of expertise, innovation and craftmanship that continues to define the organization today,” Tim adds. “We’ve evolved in line with the industry’s demands, embracing new technologies and advanced methods while maintaining the proven, hands-on skills that established our reputation.”
Comprehensive capabilities
Southland provides a comprehensive range of services designed to support the full lifecycle of complex infrastructure projects. “With a strong emphasis on self-performance, engineering expertise and advanced equipment, we can deliver turnkey solutions for some of the most challenging infrastructure environments in the world,” Tim explains. “Our capabilities include large-scale bridge construction and steel erection, deep foundations, marine and port facilities, and major transportation structures such as interchanges and highway systems. We’re also a leader in the construction of water and wastewater pipelines, treatment plants, pump stations, and large conveyance systems. We also provide world-class tunneling solutions, using tunnel boring machines, micro tunneling, and other specialized techniques to deliver underground infrastructure for utilities, water systems, and transit.
“These capabilities enable us to serve a diverse set of market sectors critical to public and private infrastructure. Our primary focus includes transportation infrastructure, such as bridges, highways and transit systems; water resources, including pipelines, treatment facilities, pump stations and deep conveyance tunnels; and marine infrastructure, encompassing ports, terminals and waterfront structures. Additionally, we support industrial and energy-related projects that require heavy civil construction or complex underground work. Across each sector, we focus on delivering durable, resilient, and sustainable solutions – whether improving mobility, expanding water capacity, supporting coastal infrastructure, or providing essential utilities.”
To maintain and strengthen its capabilities, Southland continuously invests in its ever-growing construction fleet. The company maintains thousands of active pieces of owned equipment, representing a substantial capital investment. “Compared to many firms that rent or lease equipment based on project needs, our strategy emphasizes ownership of critical assets to reduce long-term costs, improve scheduling flexibility, and help us self-perform major scopes of our work,” Tim notes. “Among other equipment, our core fleet includes tunnel boring machines (TBMs), heavy-capacity cranes and lifting equipment, and support equipment such as excavators, backhoes, loaders, and heavy-duty trucks. This multi-capable fleet is a part of what allows us to pivot among project types and geographies, providing a major advantage when bidding on complex, large-scale infrastructure assignments.
“We’ve also established a dedicated equipment team of operators and technicians to ensure our fleet is not static but rather actively maintained and expanded to enable consistent performance across each business line,” he adds. “Rather than relying solely on external vendors or partners, we employ our own skilled mechanics, technicians, and logistics specialists, and their expertise ensures machinery is kept in peak operating condition, downtime is minimized, and equipment can be quickly deployed to projects across the country. Alongside preventive maintenance, fleet tracking programs, and optimized lifecycle management, this in-house team can also respond quickly to any equipment issues, reducing delays that can often occur when using third parties.”
Prioritizing operational excellence
As a leader in its field, Southland is widely recognized for delivering complex, large-scale projects with precision, innovation and durability. “One of our most striking projects is the Mill Creek Drainage Relief Tunnel in Dallas, Texas, which is currently the largest water tunnel under construction in North America,” Tim says. “Stretching over 4.9 miles and plunging more than 100 feet below the surface, this project addresses critical stormwater management needs and all within a complex urban environment. Similarly, the Jollyville Transmission Main Tunnel in Austin, Texas, exemplifies our expertise in deep underground water infrastructure, with a 12-foot diameter tunnel extending over 350 feet below ground to connect a key water treatment plant to the regional reservoir system.
“We also bring historical expertise to high-profile bridge projects. The Robert F. Kennedy Bridge Rehabilitation in New York City is particularly notable, as the bridge was originally built by our legacy company, American Bridge Company, in the 1930s. The current project includes deck repairs, cable dehumidification, painting, and replacement of pathways. Similarly, the SR 23 Bridge over the St. Johns River in Florida demonstrates our capabilities in large-scale new bridge construction, enhancing marine clearance and regional connectivity.
“In addition to bridges and tunnels, we have executed transformative water infrastructure projects, such as the Integrated Pipeline Project in North Central Texas, connecting Lake Palestine to Benbrook Lake. This nearly 149-mile system of large-diameter steel pipelines enhances water supply capacity for growing communities. These projects collectively highlight our ability to combine innovative engineering, specialized equipment, and a skilled workforce, as well as showcasing our core values of safety, integrity, teamwork, and service.”
With a strong portfolio of legacy and ongoing projects under its belt, Southland is a perfect example of how legacy, adaptability and technical excellence can be seamlessly integrated. The company’s self-performance capabilities and robust fleet will continue to lead Southland to sustained success.
“Over the next year, we’re aiming to convert our ‘new core’ backlog into revenue while completing legacy business lines,” Tim concludes. “We’re prioritizing disciplined project selection, cost control and operational excellence to enhance our reliability and competitiveness. We’re expecting continued demand for public-sector infrastructure and we’re well positioned to capitalize on these projects as many municipalities and regions ramp up long-term planning. Further afield, we’re committed to strengthening and expanding our role as a leading provider of complex, self-performed infrastructure projects across North America.”