Caltrans Director Randy Iwasaki, speaking to an asphalt pavement industry conference, gave a frank assessment of “strained” transportation funding, the importance of the Caltrans-construction industry partnership and green initiatives. Photo: California Asphalt Pavement Association Among those attending the Nov. 12 CalAPA California Asphalt Pavement Forum were, from left: CalAPA Executive Director Russell Snyder, Tony Limas with Granite Construction, Jack Van Kirk with George Reed Inc., Caltrans Director Randy Iwasaki, Jeff Reed with George Reed Inc., and Skip Brown with Delta Construction and Asphalt Consulting Services, LLC. Related Links: Link here Iwasaki, who took over the top job at the state
“Bay Area Burden,” a new report released last week by the Urban Land Institute Terwilliger Center for Workforce Housing, finds that the average Bay Area household spends more than $41,000 a year — nearly 60% of their income — on transportation and housing costs alone. Photo: Bay Area Toll Authority These costs vary among the nine Bay Area counties examined, ranging from 54% in Santa Clara to 66% in Sonoma. But the study finds that one-fourth of all households in the Bay Area live in neighborhoods where housing and transportation costs account for 65% or more of income — a
Federal, state and local elected officials, along with Metro executives and community leaders, gathered recently at the new Metro East Los Angeles Civic Center Station for the official dedication ceremony of the Edward R. Roybal Metro Gold Line Eastside Extension. Photo: Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority The Gold Line Eastside Extension in Los Angeles, a major Balfour Beatty Rail, Inc. project, marked the beginning of its light rail service with a grand opening ceremony on Saturday, Nov. 15. Balfour Beatty Rail started work in 2004 on the Eastside extension in a joint venture with electrical contractor Steiny and Co.
San Francisco celebrated the grand opening last week of Mission Walk, the first below-market-rate, for-sale homes in the new Mission Bay neighborhood. Photo: BRIDGE Housing Mission Walk is a development by Berry Street LLC (an affiliate of BRIDGE Housing Corp.) and the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency. Mission Walk provides 131 for-sale condominiums and townhomes (25 one bedrooms, 82 two bedrooms and 24 three bedrooms) in two five-story buildings; each building features an on-grade parking garage and landscaped courtyard. The development was designed to achieve LEED certification. Financing for Mission Walk was provided by the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency; Wells Fargo
While the $27 billion dedicated to highway construction in the $775 billion stimulus package likely saved thousands of construction-related jobs, it was not enough to prevent widespread lay-offs among road and transit construction businesses, according to a nationwide survey released last week. And while stimulus fund will continue supporting transportation projects next year, 44% of contractors anticipate having to lay off additional permanent employees due to overall economic conditions, the survey found. Nearly 70% of transportation contractors responding to a survey conducted by the Washington, D.C.-based Transportation Construction Coalition reported receiving stimulus-funded contracts work so far this year. But 63%
Five outstanding developments — including the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco — have been selected as winners of the 2009 Urban Land Institute’s Global Awards for Excellence competition, widely recognized as the land use industry’s most prestigious recognition program. The award winners, representing the world’s best cross-regional models in land use practices, were announced last week in conjunction with the ULI fall meeting in San Francisco. Photo: California Academy of Sciences California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park The competition is part of the Institute’s Awards for Excellence program, established in 1979, which is based on ULI’s
A new state law that goes in effect Jan. 1, 2011 remedies longstanding problems without significant cost or inconvenience Related Links: Green Building Innovations Building Smarter: BIM and Beyond Heavy BIM Special Report Building Foundations for Future Organizational Development Sacramento Market Report Breathing New Life Into Old Facilities Since 1879, the California Constitution has guaranteed contractors, subcontractors, suppliers and others who have not been paid for work and materials supplied to a private works project the right to sell the property where the work was performed in order to obtain payment. The mechanism by which a sale of the property
$1.02-billion Sacramento International Airport�s �Big Build� expansion and modernization project is on target for a 2012 completion Corgan Associates and Fentress Architects teamed up on the design. The new Concourse B will offer 19 gates, six more than the current concourse. Related Links: Green Building Innovations Building Smarter: BIM and Beyond Heavy BIM Special Report Building Foundations for Future Organizational Development Construction Firms Need to Prepare for New Mechanic’s Lien Procedures Breathing New Life Into Old Facilities Just as its name suggests, Sacramento International Airport’s “Big Build” project is a case study in all things large. At $1.02 billion, the
With the opening this month of the new $80-million Walnut Village retirement project in Anaheim, residents will not only have a place to call home, they will have a small, private town that’s full of amenities. The units are surrounded by a village of three courtyards. Related Links: Green Building Innovations Building Smarter: BIM and Beyond Heavy BIM Special Report Sacramento Market Report Building Foundations for Future Organizational Development Construction Firms Need to Prepare for New Mechanic’s Lien Procedures Breathing New Life Into Old Facilities With the opening this month of the new $80-million Walnut Village retirement project in Anaheim,
Stricter requirements for removing nutrients are driving advances in technology and new projects to refit older wastewater plants. Work crews place rebar for North Las Vegas plant that will be fitted with MBR system. Blue Plains Treatment Plant, outside Washington, D.C., is designing a $935-million upgrade. Related Links: Green Building Innovations Building Smarter: BIM and Beyond Heavy BIM Special Report Building Foundations for Future Organizational Development Sacramento Market Report Construction Firms Need to Prepare for New Mechanic�s Lien Procedures Many municipal wastewater systems built in the 1970s and 1980s are nearing the end of their useful lives, forcing municipalities and
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