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The Southwest Las Vegas Library and Service Center will be more than just book smart. The new building will house a library, auditorium and administrative offices under one roof for operational efficiency and cost savings. The $34-million complex broke ground in May 2009. It will open in March. Las Vegas-based Martin-Harris Construction is the general contractor, with URS Corp., San Francisco, as construction manager. “By combining design and construction of the service center with the new branch, the district will save nearly $4.5 million in construction costs and design fees over building two separate facilities,” says Jeanne Goodrich, Las Vegas-Clark

Along the El Camino Real, in a particularly arid region of New Mexico the conquistadors called Jornada Del Muerto (Journey of the Dead), the future of space travel is alive and nearly ready for launch. Begun in August 2009, Spaceport America is the world’s first inland purpose-built commercial spaceport capable of accommodating vertical and horizontal launch vehicles. The $198-million facility about 35 mi from Truth or Consequences is expected to be delivered to the state of New Mexico in July. Aerospace firms such as Armadillo Aerospace, Lockheed Martin, Moog-FTS and UP Aerospace are considering commercial space flights from the 28-sq-mi

The Utah Dept. of Transportation’s one-year-old Beaver Creek Bridge is located between the cities of Spanish Fork and Price. The scenic U.S. 6 mountain pass is “notorious for wildlife hits,” says UDOT Structural Designer Rebecca Nix. “The new bridge is an effort to reduce those accidents,” by providing a generous space under the bridge for wildlife to cross in addition to a creek crossing. Many safety projects, such as road widening, bridge replacement and other new crossings, have been completed on U.S. 6 in the last several years. Besides improving safety, the bridge is also serving as a testing ground

SUMMERHAYS Employers are often surprised to learn that injuries sustained in a motor-vehicle crash may be compensable under the workers compensation laws of several states. Fleet exposure is one of the most overlooked loss sources of a company's operations. This is even true when a company�s transportation needs are incidental to what the company does and the type of employees the company has on staff. div id="articleExtrasA" div id="articleExtrasB" div id="articleExtras" Driver Selection Do an interview that asks specific questions about an applicant’s driving experience and type of vehicles they will be driving. Get a copy of the applicant’s motor

Hoover Dam, the Depression-era engineering marvel, turns 75 this month. While its new bridge crossing is set to open in November, the concrete monolith also is marking a dubious milestone this year�a 54-year low point for its water level, which threatens the dam�s hydroelectric output. Photo: Luetta Callaway As Hoover Dam celebrates its 75th anniversary, low Lake Mead water levels may lead to the eventual shutdown of the dam�s power-generating turbines. Lake Mead dipped to 1,085 ft in September, less than 40% of its capacity, following a decade of boom growth and drought. As a result, Hoover Dam may have

HAMMER HAYNES ROOSOn May 11, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer signed into law a bill that substantially modifies existing Arizona law concerning the prompt payment of contractors, subcontractors and materials suppliers on private projects. Although Arizona law requires prompt payment of contractors on both public and private construction projects, the new law, S.B. 1375, alters only the statutes that govern private contracts. No Change to Payment Cycle The bill retains the existing 21-day cycle for progress payments (14 days for the owner to certify and approve the payment application from the prime contractor and seven days thereafter to make the payment).

A four-year-long legal spat over Hoover Dam Bridge project's collapsed cableways has come to a close with a private settlement stemming from an April 20 arbitration ruling. On Sept. 15, 2006, a refurbished 42-year-old cableway system leased from American Bridge Co., Coraopolis, Penn., toppled over during 50-mph winds, bringing construction to a halt and delaying completion by two years. The 1,900-ft-long, 277-ft-deep twin-rib arched bridge will now open in early November. Photo: FHWA View of the collapsed North and South Cableway Crane system at Abutment 2 area in Arizona after the 2006 incident. In 2005, a general contracting joint venture

The media perception is that engineers are not as in tune with sustainability concepts as other professionals. But that’s not the case. Engineers tend to downplay their role in the innovation and development of sustainable efficiencies, but they have made big contributions. div id="articleExtrasA" div id="articleExtrasB" div id="articleExtras" In 1908, engineer-geologist William A. Smith said, “Engineering is the science of economy, of conserving the energy, kinetic and potential provided and stored up by nature for the use of man. It is the business of engineering to utilize this energy to the best advantage, so that there may be the least

Before 2007, frequently used American Institute of Architects construction contract forms provided for arbitration of contract disputes to be administered by the American Arbitration Association. Because of disappointments of some industry members with arbitration, the 2007 AIA contract forms (and the newly introduced ConsensusDOCS contract forms) allow choices between arbitration, litigation or “other” (arm wrestling?). Check the box. What are the relative merits of arbitration vs. litigation? Here are a few factors to consider: Cost.  Although in earlier years arbitration costs were thought to be lower because there was only limited discovery (depositions, written interrogatories and the like) and no