Related Links: Protests Push the Public Procurement Process In a change endorsed by the Federal Highway Administration, the New Mexico Dept. of Transportation will take contractors' past performances into account when they bid on highway projects over $5 million.NMDOT believes the procedure will result in lower costs and delays. The Associated Contractors of New Mexico (ACNM) thinks the new rule will result in less competition and higher bid prices.CHURCH"Our goal is to change New Mexico contracting from 'low bid' to 'quality bid,' " says NMDOT Cabinet Secretary Tom Church. "This process will encourage the good contractors to continue with excellent
Rendering Courtesy of Jerusalem Municipality Officials say cable car system will relieve traffic congestion in the Old City, but project has opponents. Jerusalem city officials are moving ahead with plans to build a controversial cable-car project despite a decision by a French consulting firm to back out of the project for apparent political reasons.The 2.3-kilometer long cable-car system, a $32-million project, is designed to carry thousands of passengers daily between the city's downtown and the Old City, to reduce traffic in the area of sites holy to Judaism, Islam and Christianity.Part of the system route crosses Jerusalem's eastern section, which
Map by Jeffrey Cox/ENR Massive infrastructure plan aims to link Kenya, South Sudan and Ethiopia with the rest of Africa. Related Links: Rising Cement Demand in East Africa Draws European Manufacturers Africa Road Projects To Drive Demand for Asphalt After four years of negotiations with landowners, construction of the first phase of the $3.1-billion berths project in Kenya’s coastal town of Lamu is back on track. The new berths will be part of a $24.5-billion, seven-component Lamu Port South Sudan Ethiopian Transport (Lapsset) corridor project, the largest ever in eastern Africa.The building of the 32 berths, which is now slated
Photo by Shem Oirere Kenya has launched a $2.8-billion, 10,000-km road-paving program, to be completed in 2017. Related Links: Rising Cement Demand in East Africa Draws European Manufacturers Sub-Saharan Africa's Energy Sector on Growth Trajectory in 2015 With many countries in Africa planning or implementing major highway building programs, demand for asphalt is expected to rise. That has prompted an increase in asphalt imports and a French asphalt company’s acquisition of a large West African company.Imported asphalt’s price is much lower than locally produced material, especially in Nigeria, where marketers are lobbying for punitive import taxes. The low price of
Related Links: The Economics of High Speed 2 - Economic Affairs Committee report HS2 Chairman Higgins Pushes Rail Program Forward Legislation for UK's HS2 Rail Program Will Move, Government Official Tells Engineers The U.K. government has failed to justify its planned $74-billion investment in HS2, a new high-speed railroad that will link London to industrial centers in the north of England, according to a March 25 report from an influential committee of Parliament. The report calls on officials to make a better case for “one of the most expensive infrastructure projects ever undertaken in the U.K.”Clive Hollick, chair of the
Photo by Nicholas Zeman / ENR Downtown Crossing will start cable work at a ramped-up pace. Related Links: $2.6-Billion Ohio River Bridges Project Ramps Up In Louisville $2.6-Billion Ohio River Spans Set for Award in December Crews are grappling with inclement weather and extra responsibilities on the design-build portion of the $2.6-billion Ohio River Bridges Project (ORBP), linking Kentucky and Indiana. The main contractor hopes to ramp up work and stay on schedule.Walsh Group won the $860-million design-build Downtown Crossing contract in 2012, with a December 2016 slated completion. Walsh is also in a $763-million concessionaire contract to build ORBP's
Photo by Greg Aragon / ENR Crews building a route extending the original Expo line from Culver City to Santa Monica dealt with a tight urban environment. Enlarge Click map to enlarge. Related Links: L.A. Expo Line To Open Late, Over Budget Snaking above, below and through busy streets, sound studios, artist colonies and freeways, the extension of the Exposition Line from Culver City to Santa Monica is nearing completion thanks in part to the flexibility imparted by design-build, project officials say.The 6.7-mile, $1.5-billion project includes seven bridges and seven stations squeezed into a busy urban setting. The light-rail system
The Federal Highway Administration this month gave Arizona approval to proceed with plans for the state's first major public-private-partnership project, the $1.9-billion Loop 202/South Mountain freeway in the Phoenix metropolitan area.FHWA signed a record of decision March 5, and according to the Arizona Dept. of Transportation, the agency will immediately begin acquiring right-of-way, selecting the construction team and finalizing plans. Five development teams have submitted statements of qualifications to ADOT and will move on to the next stage of the selection process. The final development team is expected to be chosen by January 2016."We are currently reviewing the submitted statement
Related Links: Europe's Largest Rail Project Ramps Up At Halfway Mark, $24-Billion U.K. Crossrail Project Back on Track Some 60 archaeologists in London have started excavating about 3,000 skeletons dating back to 1569 from the city's first municipal burial ground. The excavation will allow construction to start on a new entrance to the Crossrail railroad at Liverpool Street Station.Thousands of Londoners, many of whom were victims of plague, were buried up to the mid-18th century at the Bedlam burial ground, which took its name from the nearby Bethlem Royal Hospital for the mentally ill."There are up to 6 meters of