The Las Virgenes-Triunfo Joint Powers Authority has awarded Walsh Construction a $303.7-million contract to deliver final design, construction and commissioning of the new Advanced Water Purification Facility and major pipeline components in western Los Angeles County. Brown and Caldwell is serving as prime consultant on the project, which is slated to begin construction this month, with operations expected to begin in early 2030. The project uses membrane filtration, reverse osmosis and ultraviolet disinfection technology to treat recycled water to state drinking water standards.

Arevon Energy has broken ground on its 250-megawatt/1,000-megawatt-hour Cormorant Energy Storage project in Daly City, Calif. The $600-million facility, expected to be operational in 2027, will use lithium iron phosphate battery technology and is capable of powering approximately 321,000 homes for up to four hours during peak demand. The project is under a long-term offtake agreement with MCE, which serves more than 1.8 million residents across four Bay Area counties. Primoris Services Corp.’s renewables group is the engineering, procurement and construction contractor.

The LA Metro board selected the San Vicente–Fairfax alignment for the extension of the K Line to Hollywood at its March meeting. The 9.7-mile underground route—the longest option studied—will run from Crenshaw/Expo through key corridors including San Vicente Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue. The project remains contingent on local funding through an Enhanced Infrastructure Financing District. The draft environmental impact report released in 2024 estimated the cost of the project at $14.8 billion. Once completed, the extension will improve regional connectivity by linking multiple Metro rail lines and shifting the system toward a more flexible, grid-based network.

Skanska USA has completed construction of the Oregon Health and Science University Vista Pavilion in Portland, a $650-million, 14-story, 533,000-sq-ft hospital expansion on the Marquam Hill campus. The project is scheduled to open this spring. The facility adds 128 patient beds with space for 64 more, increasing hospital capacity by nearly one-third and expanding services for complex conditions and cancer care. Skanska emphasized sustainability measures such as diverting about 90% of construction waste from landfills and using lower-carbon materials.

The final section of the Highway 101 Carpinteria-to-Santa Barbara project is slated for completion in 2028.
Photo courtesy Granite Construction

Caltrans has awarded the $114-million Segment 4E North of the Highway 101 Carpinteria-to-Santa Barbara CM/GC project to Watsonville, Calif.-based Granite Construction, completing the program’s final main line segment. The multiyear initiative aims to improve safety and ease congestion along an 11-mile corridor in Santa Barbara County. Work includes replacing lanes, adding peak-period carpool lanes in both directions between Hermosillo Road and Salinas Street and reconstructing the Cabrillo Boulevard interchange with new bridges and right-hand ramps. Construction is set to begin in April 2026 and finish by December 2028.

Suffolk Construction has been awarded the construction management contract for California Polytechnic State University’s major student housing expansion in San Luis Obispo. The project will add approximately 3,600 new beds and renovate around 1,200 existing units and will use offsite modular fabrication guided by digital modeling, geospatial planning and logistics sequencing to minimize campus disruption and improve scheduling. The project is part of Cal Poly’s $1.2-billion, multiphase student housing program, supporting the university’s goal of guaranteeing two years of on-campus housing while easing local rental market pressure.

The Associated General Contractors of California’s 2026 Optimism Survey shows the state’s contractors entered 2026 with measured confidence. Nearly 62% of respondents anticipate growth or moderate increases in overall construction activity statewide, while 81% expressed confidence in the performance of their own companies. About 52% of firms plan to increase hiring, and roughly 54% forecast net profit growth. The outlook varies by sector, with building-focused firms reporting stronger activity expectations (80%) compared with those focused on highway/transportation (66%) and utility/infrastructure (69%) markets. Contractors cited persistent challenges that include demand for skilled labor, regulatory compliance and rising wages.

The Port of Seattle and Alaska Airlines have completed major construction on the $546-million SEA Gateway Project at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. The upgrade to the north end of the main terminal improves passenger flow from curb to gate by introducing automated bag drop systems, upgraded security checkpoints, expanded digital signage, redesigned baggage claim areas and new light-filled public spaces. The project was designed by HOK and built by Hensel Phelps.