The San Jacinto River Authority broke ground in August on a $190-million surface water facility adjacent to Lake Conroe. When completed in June, the plant will initially produce 30 million gallons per day of drinking water for the Conroe and The Woodlands areas. McCarthy Building, Houston, is serving as construction manager at-risk. The project is also the first major component of a $500-million authority program that aims to reduce use of groundwater by providing an alternative water source. This year, the agency will break ground on numerous sections of water lines near Conroe and The Woodlands. Despite rising demand for pipe in the state, authority spokeswoman Ronda Trow says the project "is coming in under budget."

In another water supply project, Garney Construction, Kansas City, Mo., is building the $300-million Lake Texoma outfall to the Wylie water treatment plant near Dallas for the North Texas Municipal Water District. The project, which broke ground in January, includes more than 250,000 linear ft of steel pipe and a 240-million-gallon balancing reservoir.

Following a recent water supply crisis, the Colorado River Municipal Water District built the $130-million Ward County, Texas, water transmission system project, breaking ground in January 2012 and finishing last month. It included 21 groundwater wells, 22 miles of 10-in. to 36-in. collection pipeline, 42 miles of 42-in. and 48-in. transmission pipe, two 20-million-gallon storage tanks and four pump stations.

Healthy Demands

The region's health care sector is driving significant demand for vertical buildings. In January 2012, a joint venture of Skanska USA and MAPP Construction, Baton Rouge, broke ground on the $1.2-billion University Medical Center in New Orleans.

Built to create a new medical campus downtown to serve residents in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the project will feature a 550,661-sq-ft hospital, a 746,982-sq-ft diagnostic and treatment center, a 257,660-sq-ft ambulatory care building and a 539,789-sq-ft parking structure.

The Houston office of Skanska USA also broke ground on two major projects at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio last year—the $162-million Ambulatory Care Center Phase 2 and the $161-million Ambulatory Care Center Specialty Care/Command Support Center Phase 3.

While Brian Freeman, general manager for Skanska's Texas operations, doesn't see as many megaprojects like the University Medical Center in the pipeline, he believes the region's health care market will remain strong in the coming years.

"Because of the [federal] health care bill, you see more outpatient clinics and imaging centers," Freeman points out. "The population is still aging, so there will be demand for acute care as well."

In transportation, Dallas-Forth Worth International Airport's $2.3-billion Terminal Renewal and Improvement Program also continues to push projects. Last year, the airport broke ground on the $183-million Terminal A Enhanced Parking Structure, the $157-million Terminal B Phase 1 and the $117-million Terminal A Phase 2.

Perfecto Solis, vice president of airport development and engineering at DFW, says that although the program is large, the airport is keeping it flexible to respond to changing needs.

He notes that American Airlines, one of the airport's largest carriers, and US Airways are merging, which will create the world's largest airline. "We are in continual meetings with the airlines to understand their needs and what the growth plan is," Solis says.

Parking is among the needs the airport is monitoring. The Terminal A parking structure that broke ground last year wasn't part of the original upgrade program. Solis says a similar parking structure at Terminal E might be added in the future.

"It's conceivable that with airline approval that could happen," he adds. "We just have to partner with our clients and make sure we do this right."