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With a wave of sustainability initiatives sweeping the region in recent years, green construction is now standard for many of today's top contractors. But just as overall construction revenue declined in 2010 as the prolonged economic slump continued, green building revenue also declined. Photo Courtesy of Hensel Phelps Construction Hensel Phelps reached substantial completion on the LEED-Gold-rated University of Texas at Arlington Engineering Research Complex in November 2010. Related Links: Top Green Contractors Rankings List Total revenue last year at the 40 largest green contractors in Texas and Louisiana combined came in at $4.4 billion. In the previous year, the

For many top contractors in the region, 2010 will be remembered as the year that firms felt the full impact of the recession. Top contractors experienced significant top-line drops last year, as backlogs shrank and revenue from work contracted prior to the economic downturn began to ebb. Among the top 10 contractors that responded to ENR's Texas and Louisiana surveys over the past two years, firms collectively saw regional revenue drop 8.5% to $8.6 billion last year from $9.4 billion in 2009. Related Links: 2011 ENR Texas & Louisiana Top Contractors List ENR Texas & Louisiana Top Contractors by State

When traffic flows on all six lanes of the new $803-million Interstate-10 Twin Spans in New Orleans this September, the region that was devastated by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 will receive a much-needed symbol of recovery. Related Links: Demoed Lake Pontchartrain Bridge Keeps on Giving While relief can't come soon enough for area residents, the Twin Spans' build team worked diligently to fast track the project, which is scheduled to open almost a year ahead of schedule.The bridge connects east-west I-10 traffic over Lake Pontchartrain. Katrina's 30-ft storm surge on Aug. 29, 2005, tore apart the 1960s-era crossing with uplift

When the 5.5-mile Interstate-10 Twins Spans crossing over Lake Pontchartrain was beaten up during Hurricane Katrina in 2005, it seemed to spell the end for the well-used structure. But the team rebuilding it devised a way for its debris to keep giving back to local residents. Photo courtesy of Louisiana Dept of Transportation and Development Contractors are using debris from more than nine miles of demolished bridges on Lake Pontchartrain to build artificial reefs for local marine wildlife. The demolished bridges have been repurposed to create a new fishing pier on the north side of the lake. And old materials

STEELESundt Construction has named Bill Steele as manager of preconstruction services in the firm's Texas district. His responsibilities include managing preconstruction efforts and estimating local and state projects. During his nine years with Sundt, Steele served as senior estimator and preconstruction project manager at the company's headquarters prior to joining its San Antonio office. Sundt Construction also named Dustin Murphy as a project engineer. He has been with the company since 2007, responsible for project procurement, forecasting, contracts, scheduling and estimating.Sundt Construction also hired Steve Byrne as a project manager in its Texas district. He will serve as the contractor's

The heavily traveled Interstate-35 corridor is infamous for areas of congestion; fortunately, for motorists and contractors, significant highway funding is speeding along to bring needed relief. Under current plans, the Texas Dept. of Transportation (TxDOT) is investing more than $1 billion to widen the interstate—with more than a half billion in work under way and nearly $400 million in projects scheduled to bid this fall. The agency, which has at least another $500 million in additional work on the horizon and more in planning, has launched unprecedented outreach programs to shape the future expansion of the corridor. After nearly five

Clark Construction seems to have taken to heart the slogan “Everything is bigger in Texas.” Throughout its 30 years in the Texas market, the national firm, which is headquartered in Bethesda, Md., has focused on large jobs. But in recent years that strategy reached a new level as Clark—in a joint venture with Hunt Construction—added such megaprojects as the $730-million San Antonio Military Medical Center. The firm's Texas portfolio has amassed a combined value of $2.6 billion over three decades, with its current projects comprising $1.1 billion of that tally. Photo Courtesy of Clark Construction Clark built a new Terminal

June 14–15, 2011 Rally for Roads attracted several hundred road workers from across the U.S. to the National Mall in Washington on May 25 in support of a multiyear surface transportation bill. Speakers, including Sen. David Vitter (R-La.), said the bill is needed to create tens of thousands of jobs. Sponsorship for the event came from industry associations and suppliers. Karl Watson, president of Cemex USA, Houston, and chair of the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association, told the crowd that investment in the nations infrastructure is vital to the economy. We urge Congress to pass a robust multiyear highway bill

April 27, 2011 Photo (bottom) courtesy of LA. Dept. of transportation and development; Photo (top) courtesy of nucor Nucor Corp., Charlotte, N.C., broke ground on March 7 on a $750-million facility in St. James Parish, La. Nucors chairman and CEO, Dan DiMicco (second from right), spoke at the event, along with Gov. Bobby Jindal (at podium) and Stephen Moret (second from left), economic development secretary for Louisiana. The facility will produce direct reduced iron, which is used by Nucors steel mills, along with recycled scrap, to produce steel products such as sheet and special bar quality steel. Nucor says it