Texas & Louisiana City Scoop: Houston
Construction starts across the greater Houston area rise on strength in residential markets
Non-building and non-residential construction starts expected to increase moderately
City Grill
Mike Voinis
Houston Office Leader and Vice President
HNTB Corp.
“Traffic congestion in the Houston metropolitan area continues to be a big issue,” Voinis says. “One of the big projects that aims to improve mobility around the downtown Houston area is the North Houston Highway Improvement Project, a multi-billion-dollar investment in IH-45.”
Meanwhile, after the unprecedented flooding resulting from Hurricane Harvey in August 2017, Harris County has decided to put a $2.5-billion bond referendum before voters, Voinis adds.
A portion of that funding would be used as a local match to secure additional federal funding, so the county could potentially use the bonds to build $4 billion or more’s worth of infrastructure improvements, he says.
The increase in infrastructure investment in the Houston area also will lead to a significant amount of design and construction over the next decade.
“Engineering and construction resources will continue to be in high demand,” Voinis says. “Also, as infrastructure projects continue to increase in size, owners are looking more to alternative delivery options to better manage project risk, cost and schedule.”
