• Marsh Landing Generating Station, Antioch. Owner: GenOn. Located on the existing Contra Costa Powerplant site, the station will use existing infrastructure while also adding capacity to meet local needs. The engineering/procurement/construction contract calls for an 800-megawatt natural gas-fired plant with four 200-MW simple cycle units. Completion is scheduled for April 2013.

• The Walnut Creek Energy Plant, City of Industry. Owner: Edison Mission Group. Scheduled for a June 2013 completion, the new natural gas peak plant will consist of five 100-MW turbines, each 60 ft long by 20 ft wide and will also be capable of powering up within 10 minutes to help out the system grid, which is relying more and more on renewables (solar and wind).

But Kiewit's role in the transportation segment in California stands out. Ken Riley, senior vice president and infrastructure division manager, Santa Fe Springs, says the company and the state have a long, successful history, beginning with the construction of various portions of interstates decades ago and continuing with last year's "Carmaggedon" event.

Many in Southern California were riveted by media coverage of the mid-July 2011 project, which called for shutting part of busy Interstate 405 in Los Angeles for two days while the construction team dismantled the Mulholland Drive Bridge, which crossed over "the 405." Coincidentally, Kiewit had built the bridge, in 1960. The teardown was part of the I-405 Sepulveda Pass widening project. Kiewit finished the teardown 18 hours ahead of schedule, earning a hefty bonus. The feared traffic cataclysm didn't occur.

Looking at the highway, transit and aviation sectors broadly, John Jansen, senior vice president and infrastructure division manager in Fairfield, says, "The challenges in transportation funding mirror other markets. But there are bright spots with some new procurement options, such as design-build and [public-private partnerships], which provide more flexible operations."

The Southern California and BART transit projects also are progressing, as is a big airport endeavor:

• Metro Gold Line Foothill light-rail extension, Phase 2A, Pasadena. Owner: Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority. With JV partner Parsons, Kiewit is overseeing a design-build project that will include 11.5 miles of main double track, 15 bridges and a maintenance and operations facility. Completion is slated for 2015.

It is the second of three segments of the new $1-billion line. The first was Los Angeles-Pasadena, completed in 2003, and the third will be Azusa-Montclair, for which no completion date has yet been determined.

• Warm Springs Extension, Fremont. Owner: BART. The project, scheduled to be finished in 2015, will add 5.4 miles of new tracks from the existing Fremont Station south to a new station in the Warm Springs District of the city of Fremont. There is an optional station to be located approximately midway, in the Irvington District, depending on funding.

• Landside Portion of the San Diego International Airport Green Build Improvement Project. Owner: San Diego International Airport. In a joint venture with Sundt Construction, Kiewit is building a dual-level roadway to separate arriving and departing passenger traffic and reduce current curbside congestion. The plan also includes a check-in curb in front of Terminal 2, allowing most passengers to get boarding passes and check bags at automated kiosks before entering the terminal. Other project components are parking and roadway improvements. Completion is set for 2013.