Earlier this month, the Contra Costa County Redevelopment Agency cut the ribbon on a new pedestrian and bicycle bridge on Treat Boulevard near the Pleasant Hill BART station. Photo: Photo by Arup + Randy Olaes The $6.8-million Robert I. Schroder Overcrossing forms the centerpiece of the new sustainable Contra Costa Transit Village and was designed by the San Francisco office of global engineering and consulting firm Arup. Arup was the prime consultant for the more than 800-ft-long, 10-ft-wide bridge, which was named after a former Contra Costa County supervisor and Walnut Creek mayor. Arup provided structural, civil and geotechnical engineering,
The National Transportation Safety Board earlier this month released its preliminary report on the accident of the Sept. 9 gas pipeline explosion in San Bruno that killed eight people and damaged 55 homes. The report came a day after Pacific Gas and Electric Co. announced its new natural gas pipeline safety measures, known as Pipeline 2020. The explosion of a 30-in. diameter natural gas pipeline released 47.6 million standard cubic ft of natural gas, creating a crater 72 ft long by 26 ft wide and throwing a 28-ft segment of the pipe 100 ft away. Investigators are looking at the
Santa Ana-based developer Urban Housing Communities LLC held a ceremonial groundbreaking last week at the project site of the KTGY Group-designed Horizons at Morgan Hill in the city of Morgan Hill. Horizons at Morgan Hill is a 49-unit affordable senior housing community developed in collaboration with the Morgan Hill Redevelopment Agency, Bank of America and KTGY. Upon completion in August 2011, the new $21.2-million community will offer healthy, supportive and eco-friendly apartment homes to seniors 55 years and older earning between 30% and 50% of Santa Clara County median income. Horizons at Morgan Hill will offer 36 one-bedroom, one-bath and
Developers Merlone Geier Partners and GLJ Partners recently broke ground on Stella, an �eco-chic� residential community in Marina Del Rey. Stella will be seeking LEED silver certification for its incorporation of sustainable materials, healthier interior finishes and energy-efficient construction techniques, in compliance with the city of Los Angeles’ green building ordinance. Stella’s project team includes architectural firm DesignARC and Arroyo Interior Design. The general contractor is GLJ Builders, LP, the in-house construction company of GLJ Partners. Completion is targeted for fall of 2012. “In addition to creating a new green high-density, mixed-use community, Stella will create jobs and be an
Webcor Builders is well underway on site preparation work on the California Memorial Stadium reconstruction and renovation project. The project includes stadium, athletic field, seismic, life safety and program upgrades; and the preservation of selected historic elements of the U.C. Berkeley’s original 86-year-old structure. Site prep began in the summer with utilities work, reinforcement of the west wall and limited demolition of interior spaces. Major construction is slated to start at the end of the 2010 football season and will be on a 20-month schedule to finish in time for the 2012 campaign. Webcor is serving as construction manager and
Ground was broken last week on the new home of the Exploratorium museum at Piers 15 and 17, two piers on San Francisco's historic northern waterfront at Embarcadero and Green Streets. Developed in two phases – starting with Pier 15 – this future nine-acre campus on the Embarcadero, a 10-minute walk from the Ferry Building, will unite the Exploratorium’s educational activities under one roof, as well as offer significant room for future expansion into Pier 17. The project team includes Wilson Meany Sullivan (developer), EHDD (architect), KPM Consulting (project management) and Nibbi Brothers (general contractor). Construction in and around Pier
The Pasadena City Council has approved a $152 million financing plan for a major renovation of the Rose Bowl stadium. As the largest investment in the history of the 88-year-old iconic structure, the renovation will improve public safety, enhance fan experience, maintain the national historic landmark status of the Rose Bowl Stadium, develop revenue sources to fund the project and other long-term improvements, and enhance the stadium’s facilities, according to stadium officials. The financing plan includes lease extensions that will ensure UCLA will play its home games at the Rose Bowl stadium through 2042 and the Rose Bowl Game will
AGC of California is calling for entries to the 2011 AGC Constructor Awards program, honoring outstanding California construction projects. The deadline for entries is Friday, Jan. 14, 2011. All entries must be in AGC�s state office in West Sacramento by 5 p.m. that day. Only projects completed or substantially completed in California in the calendar year 2010 by AGC member firms are eligible to compete in the 2011 Constructor Awards program. Small and large projects are considered equally, and the sophistication of the presentation is not part of the judging; rather, it is the merits of the project that determine
The Associated General Contractors of America and the California Air Resources Board have reached an official agreement to postpone the beginning of compliance of the state�s off-road diesel emission rules until 2014. �The new estimates provided a common starting point for changes that everyone agreed the data should drive,� Kennedy says. In a joint announcement, Mary Nichols, CARB chairman, and Michael Kennedy, AGC�s general counsel, agreed that they would continue to work together to resolve the technical details attached with a complex set of regulations that CARB put into motion in 2007. �Stretching out the timelines and reporting requirements will
Caltrans last week celebrated the �punch-through� of the north portal of the Devil�s Slide Tunnel on State Route 1 (SR-1) in San Mateo County. To the cheers of the assembled crowd, crews operating the massive excavator bored through the barrier � a retaining wall on the northern end of the tunnel. Caltrans broke ground on the tunnels on Sept. 17, 2007. The tunnels will replace a stretch of SR-1 known as �Devil�s Slide� that was subject to numerous rockslides and slip-outs. At times, the highway was subject to long-term road closures due to extensive weather damage. Financed entirely with federal