Poor management of available resources at the Virginia Dept. of Transportation resulted in $877 million in transportation funds left unspent during the last two fiscal years, says an independent audit commissioned by Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R).
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency plans to construct a 1,100-ft long sheet pile wall to anchor the remediation strategy for a contaminated 48-acre former industrial site along the Southern Branch of the Elizabeth River in Portsmouth, Va. To be constructed approximately 250 ft offshore from what was for 66 years a major wood treatment facility operated by Georgia-based Atlantic Wood Industries, the wall will serve as a containment barrier for several thousand tons of creosote- and PCB-contaminated sediment that will be dredged from the river. The entire remediation program, which also includes site work to address contaminated soils and groundwater,
The Virginia Dept. of Transportation’s second attempt to identify a suitable private-sector partner for its U.S. Route 460 Improvements Project has yielded conceptual proposals from three development consortiums to develop, construct and operate a 55-mile, four-lane toll road between Petersburg and Suffolk. One group is led by Spanish infrastructure giant Cintra Infraestructuras S.A. Another, 460 Partners, is led by Moreland Property Group Inc. of Richmond, Va., and includes, among others, Lane Construction Corp. of Charlotte, N.C., Skanska USA Civil Southeast of Virginia Beach, Va., and AECOM. A third team, Multimodal Solutions of New Hyde Park, N.Y., includes Clark Construction Group
As diplomats from around the world gather this week at the United Nations headquarters in New York City for the annual General Assembly meeting, they are encountering a rare sight: scaffolding hung from buildings� exteriors. After years of intense preparation, the 17-acre U.N. campus is undergoing its first major renovation since it was erected along the East River shortly after World War Two. The sweeping renovation won�t come cheap, at $1.87 billion, with the cost to be split among all 192 member nations. But when it�s complete in 2015, the five-structure complex, whose 11-member design team included Le Corbusier, Oscar
Construction on Maryland’s $2.6-billion, 18.8-mile InterCounty Connector has meant extensive interaction with communities of people, turtles, deer and one single brown trout. While design-build teams squeeze a new six-lane toll highway into a right-of-way teeming with humans and wildlife, Maryland’s State Highway Administration (SHA) has allocated 15% of the budget to environmental concerns. Officials say the massive efforts to manage turtles, trout and tempers are in- dicative of how highway builders must act in a new age. “What we’re seeing with the ICC will become more of the rule rather than the exception,” says SHA project manager Melinda Peters. After
Redevelopment of Lower Manhattan’s World Trade Center site has been beset with problems: design changes, funding problems, and political squabbling. And, there wasn’t even much to see at the site for nearly a decade, save for the tops of cranes and a few rumbling trucks, as a tall fence wrapped the perimeter. Photo � Joe Woolhead Redevelopment of Lower Manhattan�s World Trade Center site. Related Links: Downtown Moves Organized Chaos The Next Grand Central But nine years after the September 11 attacks, there finally are tangible signs of progress. A memorial and a tree-filled plaza will be completed next year,
Microsoft has confirmed plans to invest $499 million in a data center to be located in Mecklenburg County, Va. Although the software giant declined to provide specifics on the facility’s size, project delivery method or construction schedule, the online industry news source Data Center Knowledge noted that four comparable data centers recently built to support the growth of Microsoft’s online business have been around 500,000 sq ft each. Microsoft reportedly had also considered prospective locations in North Carolina and Texas before selecting the 175-acre Boydton Plank Road Industrial Park, which also boasts a 40-acre graded pad. The Virginia Economic Development
FKP Architects’ senior associate and project designer, Mezio S. Zangirolami, AIA, LEED AP, was recently named among the Houston Business Journal’s 2010 “40 Under 40” honorees. The annual awards program identifies 40 leaders on the rise who excel in their industries, are respected business leaders and show leadership in their communities. Zangirolami graduated from the University of Houston with a bachelor’s degree in architecture. TEXO, the combined chapter of the North/East Texas Chapter of the Associated General Contractors and the Associated Builders and Contractors North Texas, named Hank Mouser of Balfour Beatty Construction, its 2010 Safety Professional of the Year.
Southeast Construction presents its third annual Top Design-Build Contractors ranking. Derived from information obtained during the Top Contractors survey conducted earlier this year, it documents the amount of revenue related to design-build activities by the contracting firms that participated in that ranking. Related Links: Top 50 Design Builders Ranking The Top Design-Build Contractors ranking is based upon 2009 regional revenue that each firm estimated came from design-build projects within the four-state region of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina. The ranking also includes more information about each firm, including the location of its main regional office, phone number and
A three-year-long federal investigation of alleged overbilling on reconstruction contracts in Afghanistan by engineer Louis Berger Group appears likely to force Derish M. Wolff, chairman of the firm’s holding company, from his job, according to court documents filed last week. Photo: Michael Goodman For ENR Wolff’s terms of departure from the company are controversial. The company is trying to resolve Wolff’s status as chairman of Berger Group Holdings, it said a statement released on August 16. “We anticipate that the matter of his employment to be resolved by the end of next week,” the company said. Contacted at his New
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