Project managers are struggling with how to remove �Rainier,� a tunnel-boring machine that is stuck 330 ft underground since last year. Until the rig is moved, the area�s $1.8-billion Brightwater treatment plant can�t be finished. Image: ENR/King County The tunnel�s original contractor and owner have parted ways after TBM bogged down and are currently negotiating a claim while a replacement team drills ahead. Photo: John J. Kosowatz / ENR One of the Brightwater tunnel boring machines is seen here fitted with cutter head. “As of May 1, we have no way to remove it and are still working on a
Clark/McCarthy, A Joint Venture, recently finished the $575-million, LEED-silver-certified Tom Bradley International Terminal Improvements and Baggage Screening Systems Project at Los Angeles International Airport. Over two-and-a-half years, the Clark/McCarthy team completed 1 million sq ft of renovation work and upgrades. The project team replaced TBIT�s outdated baggage handling system with an in-line system, completely overhauled its existing mechanical, electrical, plumbing and information technology systems, and built a new gate to accommodate the 800-passenger Airbus A380 aircraft. All construction occurred without impeding operations at LAX. Tom Bradley International Terminal remained opened through the project and the project team maintained a safe
The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission last week awarded the contract for the Sunol Valley Water Treatment Plant Expansion and Treated Water Reservoir Project to Shimmick Construction Co. Inc of Oakland. Shimmick submitted the lowest qualified bid at $83.1 million, which is $27 million below the SFPUC�s engineers� estimate. Two certified Local Business Enterprise firms � R&W Concrete out of Burlingame and SF Transport of San Francisco � were awarded $6.7 million of the total contract amount. Shimmick Construction successfully completed the seismic retrofit of San Francisco�s largest in-city reservoir, the Sunset Reservoir, in 2009. This project is a part
The American Institute of Architects� Committee on the Environment (AIA/COTE) named three Northern California projects within the Top Ten Green projects for 2010. The 355 11th Street project in San Francisco. The COTE Top Ten Green Projects program, now in its 14th year, is the profession�s best known recognition program for sustainable design excellence. The program celebrates projects that are the result of a thoroughly integrated approach to architecture, natural systems and technology. They make a positive contribution to their communities, improve comfort for building occupants and reduce environmental impacts through strategies such as reuse of existing structures, connection to
University Gateway, a mixed-use Type I student housing project adjacent to the University of Southern California campus, received a city of Los Angeles temporary certificate of occupancy 10 weeks ahead of schedule. The design-build project, built on property that was formerly used-car dealerships and repair shops, received its TCO on April 16. The project�s original completion date was June 30. Clark Design/Build of California Inc. led the design-build efforts on the $191-million project; Togawa Smith Martin Residential, Inc., of Los Angeles, led the design team. University Gateway rises eight stories at the intersection of Figueroa Boulevard and Jefferson Street. The
Irvine-based gkkworks has acquired Syska Hennessy Group Construction of New York, creating what company officials call a more fully integrated architecture, construction management and general contracting firm. The acquired firm will operate under gkkworks construction services and will be based in the Los Angeles area. The expanded integrated design and construction firm will have combined revenues exceeding $200 million, over 300 employees, and a national, diversified business with significant government and private sector clients. The acquisition provides additional gkkworks office locations in Los Angeles, New Jersey, Atlanta, Chicago and Honolulu, with major projects in Dallas, New York, and over 30
The nation's buildings and infrastructure will become more efficient, significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions and cutting energy consumption, according to a new green construction plan released recently by the Associated General Contractors of America. AGC of Washington�s David D�Hondt and Doug Moore of member company McKinstry take media through the firm�s new Green Innovation Center during the release of AGC�s �Building a Green Future� report. The plan outlines measures designed to stimulate demand for green construction projects, boost infrastructure capacity, and improve building efficiency and green construction practices. �Green construction holds the promise of delivering some of the most sweeping
The Great Recession has enabled the California Department of Transportation to save approximately $2.4 billion in construction costs for major projects since 2006 due to competition and some bids coming in up to 40% less than estimates, says Kris Kuhl, supervising transportation engineer and official chief for contract awards and services at Caltrans. Overall, Kuhl says that so far this fiscal year, project bids are averaging 33.8% under estimates. CALTRANS Doyle Drive project in San Francisco. CALTRANS A simulation of the Caldecott Tunnel fourth bore project. The savings, obviously, means that Caltrans can push for more transportation construction starts, Kuhl
If the recent sixth-annual Safety Expo: Statewide Safety Training & Construction Management event proved one thing, it’s that construction industry representatives in California crave information. Various classes and demonstrations at the Expo focused on scaffold awareness, safety and new products. As they say during tough times, the better prepared employees and firms will reap benefits down the line. The 140 sessions presented at this expo ranged from forklift certification classes to basic CPR training and from a nine-part series of new green building workshops to Cal/OSHA updates. Presented by the Construction Industry Education Foundation (CIEF) in partnership with the Sacramento
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