It's no coincidence that the two largest projects to break ground in the Midwest last year involved Illinois road work. Employment conditions are dire in Illinois, and lawmakers of every stripe agree improved roads and infrastructure will not only make the state more competitive but create thousands of construction jobs. Image Courtesy of HKS Architects. Ohio State University currently has several projects under way, including the North Residential District Transformation in Columbus. Related Links: Missouri Puts Brakes on Cost-Share Program for Roads Transportation Projects Drive Construction Employment Higher in Illinois The combined value of the two projects—the new Elgin-O'Hare Expressway
This May, eight orangutans will move into their new home at the Indianapolis Zoo, where visitors will have a rare chance to get up close and personal with Asian great apes by literally hanging out with them. Workers are busy putting the finishing touches on the zoo's $26-million International Orangutan Center, which houses three buildings and 11 surrounding towers connected by a roughly 80-ft-high aerial cableway that allows the apes to move around the 2-acre exhibit and swing high above viewers. The project also includes a 60-ft-tall suspended gondola ride spanning 1,000 ft around the perimeter of the site, where
Scott Seyer and Elias Vavaroutsos have been promoted to principal at Chicago-based architect Goettsch Partners. Both are senior project designers. Seyer has helped lead design of facilities in the U.S. and overseas. Vavaroutsos has worked on projects in the academic, health care and aviation sectors. Related Links: ENR Midwest People Showcase ENR Midwest Top 20 Under 40 Scott Orr has been promoted to vice president of Gilbane Building Co. in Cleveland. Previously district manager, he specializes in large-scale health care, higher education, hospitality and government projects. Orr is active in the ACE Mentor Program of Cleveland.Don Greenwell Jr. has been
Indiana Finance Authority and Indiana Department of Transportation (InDOT) have shortlisted four development teams to finance, construct, operate and maintain a 12-mile portion of Illiana Expressway, a planned 47-mile corridor linking major Illinois and Indiana arteries. Awaiting federal approval, the $1.5-billion Illiana would connect I-65 in northwest Indiana to I-55 in northeast Illinois, about 58-miles south of Chicago, relieving truck congestion on I-80, an east-west corridor in closer proximity to the city.State transportation officials expect Illiana to generate $2.4 billion to $3.8 billion over the life of the development contract they've proposed, with developers recouping their investments from tolls the
U.S. construction backlogs hit a post-recession high in the final quarter of 2013, a feat that eluded the majority of Midwest states, according to year-over-year data compiled by Washington, D.C.-based Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC). ABC's Construction Backlog Indicator (CBI) rose to 8.3 months in the fourth quarter, up from 8.2 months in the third quarter (+1.3%) and from 8 months at year end 2012 (+3.9%). By comparison, Midwest backlogs declined from 6.61 months to 6.40 months (-0.21%) in year-over-year comparisons, reflecting poor fundamentals in major metro markets such as Chicago and Detroit.All other regions saw a rise for the
The Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) on Thursday approved plans by utility Ameren Corp. to construct a $1.1-billion, 380-mile high-voltage power line across sections of central Illinois. Known as the Illinois Rivers Transmission Project, the line will be the largest of its kind in Illinois history as well as the largest undertaken by St. Louis-based Ameren. The utility says the line will promote delivery of low-cost power while improving the reliability and efficiency of the power grid.The project also “will provide Illinois customers greater access to alternative lower-cost energy sources, including wind energy,” says Maureen Borkowski, CEO with Ameren subsidiary Ameren
The Indiana Finance Authority (IFA) Board on Wednesday made a preliminary selection of a Dutch-led team to finance, design, construct, operate and maintain a 21-mile section of Interstate 69 (I-69) extending between Bloomington and Martinsville. If fully approved by IFA and Indiana Gov. Mark Pence, Isolux Infrastructure Netherlands B.V., will break ground on the $325-million section later this year and open it to traffic by December 2016. In addition to Public Sector Pension Investment Board and Grupo Isolux Corsan S.A., team members include AZTEC Engineering Group Inc., and TYPSA (Technica y Projectos S.A.)Begun in 2007, the multi-year, multiphase extension of
Construction employment plunged in the Midwest, as in other regions, in December, according month-to-month comparisons compiled by Arlington, Va.- based Associated General Contractors of America (AGC). Ohio proved the exception in the Midwest, adding 4,000 jobs in December, a turnabout after several months of declines. By comparison, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri and Wisconsin posted job losses ranging from -1.900 to -7,000. From November to December, construction employment decreased in 32 states and increased in 18 states. Gains tended to be modest, in the 1% to 3% range.Though the onset of winter may account for December's declines, “we want to make
The Missouri State Highways and Transportation Commission (SHTC) has suspended a cost-share program designed to accelerate construction of local road projects, citing intent to focus only on maintenance due to a funding shortfall. The 15-year old program helped expedite more than 175 road projects in Missouri. Though the state will complete projects included in its five-year Statewide Transportation Improvement Program, it won't add to the program's pipeline, says SHTC Chairman Joe Carmichael.“At this point, it would be irresponsible to make that promise to citizens when we don't have the money to get those projects built,” Carmichael indicated at transportation conference
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