Funded by Harris County and the cities of Seabrook and El Lago, the $16-million Repsdorph Road extension and widening project should start this summer. In League City, the interchange at IH-45 and League City Parkway was scheduled for completion by press time. A contract for widening FM 646 to five lanes, between IH-45 and SH 3, is scheduled to let in August. As well, TxDOT announced plans to widen a 5-mi stretch on the Gulf Freeway to 10 mainlanes as part of a $100.5-million project. Related Links: SH 161 Project Will Expand Artery on Major Interstates in DFW Region Williamson
DFW International Airport awarded a $900-million contract to a joint venture team known as BARC for its seven-year Terminal Development Program, which includes Terminals A, B, C and E. The 36-year-old terminals primarily consist of original structures and building systems. Related Links: Texas Stadium Implosion Site Will Serve as TxDOT Staging Area Energy Issues Likely Part of 82nd Legislature Discussions HKS Architects Offset Electricity with Wind Power KBR Acquires Energo Engineering BARC is a joint venture formed to provide construction management services and includes Dallas-based Balfour Beatty Construction, Dallas-based Azteca Enterprises, Atlanta-based H.J. Russell & Co. and Dallas-based CARCON Industries.
Donation-supported, new projects keep moving forward at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. Caruth Hall replaces an aging building, and Annette Caldwell Simmons Hall will serve a growing School of Education and Human Development, says Philip Jabour, executive director of the Office of Planning, Design, and Construction at SMU. The university has �wealthy alumni and is improving the campus,� says David R. Stanford, project designer for Hahnfeld Hoffer Stanford of Fort Worth, which designed the new buildings and a renovation of the ballroom at the university�s Umphrey Lee Center. The firm has completed about nine projects for SMU. �Everything on the
Twenty-five projects out of the 55 that made the print issue of our annual Top Projects Starts. The list here includes those as well as the additional 30 in order of total construction cost. Topping the list is the $1.3-billion-plus Central Texas highway project, SH 130, segments five and six. The list of 25 highlighted projects in this feature, with a total combined value of $4.4 billion, is dominated by transportation and military construction. Higher education, research and health-care projects are also frequent in the mix, while K-12 and is also keeping contractors busy across the region. All Top Project
While many states have tapped private capital to build roads and bridges, Texas has shown less enthusiasm for alternative funding mechanisms, allowing expiration of the Dept. of Transportation�s and Regional Mobility Authorities� right to enter into new comprehensive development agreements (or CDAs). �The moratorium greatly limits TxDOT from procuring new CDAs to deliver highway projects for which there is insufficient funding available from traditional sources,� says TxDOT spokesperson Karen Amacker. CDAs are agreements between private companies and public entities that allow for design and construction of roads and other infrastructure. In the case of concession agreements, they provide financing, operation
This month the nation’s health-care reform law (the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act) begins unfolding in earnest, and contractors need to make certain they are ready for the changes. Before we address the new realities, however, it might help to explain how the law actually affects small contractors, which has been a source of confusion. The facts are: Before the final vote, Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, attached an amendment requiring contractors with five or more employees and payrolls of more than $250,000 to provide health coverage. However, the amendment did not survive the reconciliation process between Senate and House
In my February 2006 column, I wrote about waiver under Texas law and how contracting parties may intentionally, or unintentionally, waive their rights.
The AEC industry is changing faster than it ever has in its history. The economic downturn, new technology, owner demands, and work force challenges are a few of the factors driving this change.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is issuing an especially dire forecast for tropical storm activity in the Atlantic and Caribbean basins this hurricane season. Photo: NOAA Hurricane Ike, in 2008. NOAA is predicting an active, to extremely active hurricane season this year. In a report released May 27, NOAA said that it is expecting “an active to extremely active” hurricane season. For the six-month season, which begins June 1, NOAA is projecting a 70% probability of 14 to 23 named storms with top winds of 39 mph or higher. It predicts the named storms will include eight to 14
THOMAS The American Institute of Architects granted honorary membership to Dr. Gail Thomas, president and CEO of The Trinity Trust Foundation in Dallas. It is one of the highest honors the AIA bestows on a person outside the profession of architecture. Thomas’ efforts to improve cities and her support of the arts and architecture were keys to her election. LEO A DALY in Dallas named John Kraskiewicz its new COO. He is also a vice president of the firm. Kraskiewicz holds a bachelor’s of architecture, a master’s of architecture and a master’s of business administration with a specialization in real
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