The California High-Speed Rail Authority's $68-billion high-speed-rail project recently announced a probable joint-venture team to construct its first phase, but that doesn't mean trains will be leaving the station soon. The embattled project still faces lawsuits and questions, even from former supporters. Related Links: Bid Results Announced for First Leg of Calif. High-Speed Rail Calif. High-Speed Rail Backers Push 'System Blend' "High-speed rail is at a crucial point," says Quentin Kopp, former chairman of the authority. Over the past 18 months, "missteps and violations" of the 2008 Proposition 1A bond measure have changed public opinion, he says.Kopp, who co-authored the
As Silicon Valley grows its tenant portfolio of high-tech companies, local cities, developers and architects are preparing to meet the demand for more space and sustainable buildings. A case in point is the city of Mountain View, where San Francisco-based TMG Partners is constructing a $100-million build-to-suit research and development center for Samsung Information Systems America (SISA) Inc. Photo courtesy of TMG Partners The 385,000-sq-ft project includes two, six-story research and development buildings and two, five-story parking structures. Related Links: View Other California Project Stories Last July, the city enacted a new general plan which allows for projects with a
A record 650 union tradeswomen attending the annual "Women Building California and the Nation" conference earlier this month were urged to take a cue from top Facebook executive Sheryl Sandburg and "lean in" to become leaders at jobsites, union halls and in their communities. Photo Courtesy of Women Building California and the Nation Attendees got motivation from AFL-CIO executive Liz Shuler. Photo Courtesy of Women Building California and the Nation Craft workers look to network and boost their clout at meeting in California. Related Links: Union Carpenter Connects, Fuels Support for Tradeswomen Around the World The Sacramento, Calif., conference, co-sponsored
Condos have staged a comeback. The multifamily and hospitality sector achieved a major turnaround in 2012, placing 10 projects, totaling nearly $2.4 billion, on ENR California's Top Starts list. In 2011, only two $100-million-plus projects in that segment got under way. In 2010, there were none. Related Links: View the Ranking of the Top 35 Construction Starts of 2012 in California ENR California The $800-million Graton Resort and Casino was the largest hospitality project to break ground last year. Located about 50 miles north of San Francisco, the project's total cost includes a multistory hotel in a planned later phase.
Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), the owner of Los Angeles International Airport, is in the middle of a $4.1-billion capital improvement plan—one of the largest public works programs in California. A key element of the capital plan is a $438-million replacement for the airport's central utilities plant (CUP). The massive new facility has the complexity, scale and scope to present plenty of challenges for the project team. Related Links: Los Angeles World Airports Named ENR California Owner of the Year (4/19/2012) ENR California "There is something for every discipline: major operating systems, four electrical substations, miles of underground pipe and
By Scott Blair Related Article: Condo, Transit Projects Dominate California's 2012 Top Project Starts 2012 Top Starts In california Rank Project Location Project Cost ($ mil.) Start Date/ End Date Owner/Contractor/Designer 1 New Santa Clara Stadium Santa Clara $1,000 June 2012 March 2016 Owner: Santa Clara Stadium Authority GC: Turner/Devcon, Joint Venture Design: HNTB Corp. 2 The Carlsbad Desalination Project Carlsbad $901 Dec. 2012 June 2014 Owner: Poseidon Resources Inc. GC: Kiewit Shea Desalination (Kiewit Infrastructure West and J.F. Shea Co. JV) Design: IDE Technologies; ARCADIS; Tetra Tech 3 Graton Resort & Casino Rohnert Park $800 June 2012 Late 2013
Related Links: Upload Your Firm's New Hires and Promotions in the ENR California People Photo Gallery! ENR California People News CURTISTrevor C. Curtis has been hired by Samsung C&T, Engineering & Construction Americas, Long Beach, as director of business development. Curtis has 39 years of experience in construction and business development with global companies, focusing on alternative delivery methods in the transportation and toll-road infrastructure, transit and light rail, education and health care sectors. Before joining Samsung C&T, Curtis served as regional director with Hochtief AG in the U.K. and U.S. and, most recently, as vice president/global lead in
The VA Palo Alto Health Care System is seeing a lot more than patients these days. With roughly 17 projects totaling nearly $1 billion under way or currently in planning, the hospital’s 92-acre campus in Palo Alto is booming like a gold rush town. Image courtesy SmithGroupJJR The $100-million, 174,000-sq-ft Polytrauma and Blind Rehabilitation Center is the largest project currently under construction at the Palo Alto VA campus. Related Links: View Other Health Care Project Articles “This is unique for us because there are so many major projects happening on an active hospital campus,” says Jason Nietupski, the center's facility
With billions of dollars in public-sector construction under way, the San Francisco Bay area is an epicenter of activity for design and construction firms that build government-funded facilities.
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