Swinerton Builders and Sausal Corp. broke ground on two San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge toll plaza projects this month that will result in a new 22,600-sq-ft toll administration building in the parking lot directly east of the existing toll administration facility and a new 10,600-sq-ft structure to house Caltrans� Bay Bridge tow services operations. The Toll Administration Building The Tow Services Building Swinerton�s bid to construct the new toll administration building was $13.7 million, with completion slated for late 2012. Because the new building is a toll-related facility, it will be funded by the Bay Area Toll Authority through the agency�s
In the long-running case of Graniterock Co. v. International Brotherhood of Teamsters & Teamsters Local 287, the U.S. Supreme Court last week confirmed Graniterock�s jury verdict against Local 287 and refused to dismiss the International Brotherhood of Teamsters from the case, leaving Graniterock several options to pursue claims against the International. The Supreme Court�s decision was unanimous concerning the International. The court�s confirmation of Graniterock�s jury verdict was issued on a 7-2 vote. Concrete ready-mix drivers represented by Teamsters Local 287 went on strike against Graniterock in June 2004. The strike forced more than 450 Graniterock team members from their
Representatives from the Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Transportation Department, Caltrans and the Orange County Transportation Authority were on hand last week for the groundbreaking of the $400-million West County Connectors project near Garden Grove. The new interchange, which relies on $50 million in funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, will include additional HOV lanes, improve safety and reduce congestion. The general contractor on the first phase of the project is Atkinson Contractors of Foothill Ranch. �Projects like the West County Connectors are getting people back to work and are key to getting our economy back on track,� says
Two of the Bay Area�s best-known construction firms -- Ghilotti Construction Co. of Santa Rosa and North Bay Construction of Petaluma � report that they have reached agreement to combine their business operations by the end of 2012. The transaction will be in the form of an asset sale, and the new company will bear the Ghilotti Construction Co. name. The deal assures the continuation of two locally owned, locally knowledgeable and successful firms, as well as the Bay Area jobs and investment they represent. Ghilotti has between 220 and 300 employees and North Bay has between 200 and 250
The American Institute of Architects reports that Paul W. Welch, Jr., Hon. AIA, executive vice president of the AIA California Council, will serve as interim executive vice president/CEO of the AIA, replacing Christine McEntee who will leave the institute July 23 to become executive director of the American Geophysical Union. Welch will begin his appointment July 19 and will continue in this role through the conclusion of a national search to fill the position. A search committee working under the guidance of the AIA board executive committee was formed, with a national search for candidates to be conducted by an
The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission has awarded a $226.6-million contract for the New Irvington Tunnel project to a joint venture of Southland Contracting Inc. of Fort Worth, Texas, and Tutor Perini Corp. of Sylmar. The bid that Southland/Tutor Perini JV submitted, the lowest qualified bid, was $26.6 million below the SFPUC’s engineers’ original estimate. Construction on the New Irvington Tunnel project is expected to begin in September with completion anticipated in early 2014. Designed to provide a seismically upgraded connection between water supplies from the Sierra Nevada Mountains and the Alameda Watershed to Bay Area water distribution systems, the new
Traffic congestion and the delays it causes are costing the nation�s construction firms an estimated $23 billion each year, according to a new analysis released by the Associated General Contractors of America. There is no relief from traffic in sight, association officials warned, as Congress is months late in passing six-year federal transportation legislation, prompting more pain for the hard-hit construction industry. �Traffic tie ups nationwide are sapping productivity, delaying construction projects and raising costs for construction firms of all types,� says Stephen E. Sandherr, the association�s CEO. �Given the hardships they are facing, the last thing contractors need is
After nearly three years since construction was halted on Oakland�s half-finished City Walk project following a bankruptcy filing by the original general contractor, UPA of Reno, multifamily real estate firm Wood Partners has stepped in to resume the development. Photo: MVE Architects After nearly three years since construction was halted on Oakland�s half-finished City Walk project, multifamily real estate firm Wood Partners has stepped in to resume the development. With financing secured, Wood Partners� office in San Francisco says construction would begin this week. Wood Partners purchased the site nine months ago, and since then has worked diligently to assemble
San Francisco voters approved Proposition B, a $412-million �Earthquake Safety and Emergency Response� bond that will cover the first phase expense of seismically upgrading a number of neighborhood fire stations and emergency water systems and construct a new public safety building in Mission Bay. The Emergency Firefighting Water Supply System, officially called the Auxiliary Water Supply System (AWSS), is an independent high-pressure water supply system dedicated to fire protection. It was built in 1913 in response to the 1906 Great Earthquake. It consists of a 135-mi pipeline network, a high elevation reservoir and two large capacity tanks, two pumping stations,
McKIM Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger recently appointed Cindy McKim as director of the California Department of Transportation, replacing Randy Iwasaki, who resigned in April to become the executive director of the Contra Costa Transportation Authority. “Cindy McKim is committed to improving our roads and infrastructure to meet the needs of future generations,” says Governor Schwarzenegger. “With many years of experience with Caltrans, she understands the impact that our transportation system has on businesses and job creation. Cindy shares my desire to see California grow and change to meet the needs of an ever growing population.” McKim has served at Caltrans since