Competition for projects in the four-state Southeast Construction region has been at an intense level throughout 2009, as an increasing number of building contractors find themselves chasing a declining number of new contracts, hoping to build a backlog during this historic downturn. Photo: Sam Barnes. State transportation departments throughout the Southeast are reporting that early bids for stimulus-funded projects are coming in lower than expected. As the residential and commercial markets continue their declines, contractors operating in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina have been witnessing unprecedented bidding activity on some contracts. At the same time, as the billions
The board of Tampa Bay Water has approved staff recommendations for an estimated $125-million repair program for the agency’s four-year-old, 15.5-billion-gallon C.W. “Bill” Young Regional Reservoir. The facility, which cost roughly $140 million to construct originally, has been experiencing significant cracking since late 2006. At the same time, the authority is moving ahead with a lawsuit against the three lead members of the project’s design and construction team: HDR of Omaha, Neb., the designer; Barnard Construction Co. of Bozeman, Mont., the contractor; and construction manager Construction Dynamics Group of Columbia, Md. In late 2006, the agency discovered significant cracking along
The latest information from McGraw-Hill Construction indicates that the value of new Southeast retail project starts will decline by more than $1 billion, compared to last year. The slump in retail sales is hitting the market for new construction of stores and restaurants. According to the latest information from McGraw-Hill Construction, the overall value of new retail starts in the four-state Southeast Construction region of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina will total about $3.1 billion during 2009. That would be a decline of approximately $1.2 billion from McGraw-Hill Construction’s 2008 tally for this sector, when new projects equaled
The Florida Dept. of Transportation breathed life into its plans for a $1-billion Port of Miami Tunnel, agreeing after days of intense negotiations with local officials and the South Florida legislative delegation to attempt to reach an agreement with its original concessionaire Miami Access Tunnel, even though MAT’s equity partner Babcock & Brown of Australia bailed out of the deal late last year. FDOT Secretary Stephanie C. Kopelousos stated in a letter to Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Alvarez that the agency would make its technical team available to participate in a working group with county staff, who hope to use
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act came along just as traditional revenues for new roadwork were drying up in North Carolina and road lettings were being reduced to a small fraction of recent levels. The North Carolina Department of Transportation has between only $15 million and $20 million available monthly for traditional lettings. That’s down 75% from 2008, when the state let $948.6 million in new contracts, or an average of nearly $80 million per month. Revenues are down about 11% overall, but the highway-use tax, derived from vehicle sales, is down about 30% this year, says Burt Tasaico, state
An estimated $12.2 billion in federal stimulus funding should help Florida shore up some of the holes in the state budget and put thousands of Floridians to work. That was the message from Gov. Charlie Crist when he hailed the passage of the federal stimulus bill in mid-February and just days later when he announced his $66.5 billion 2009-2010 budget on Feb. 20. Photo: PB Americas The Florida Department of Transportation plans to make full use of the roughly $1.4 billion in stimulus funding it will receive. According to a Feb. 20 statement accompanying the release of Gov. Crist’s budget,
Randy Larson has been with PBS&J of Tampa for more than 21 years. Currently, he serves as president of PBS&J Constructors, and executive vice president of the recently acquired Peter R. Brown Construction, previously based in Clearwater, Fla. Larson also acts as chairman of the combined boards of both companies. LARSON Employee-owned PBSJ Corp. of Tampa, parent company of the engineering, architecture and sciences company PBS&J, PBS&J Constructors and PBS&J International, acquired construction manager Peter R. Brown Construction of Clearwater late last year for $16 million, according to Securities and Exchange Commission filings. What was the motivation for this transaction?
Despite having let nearly all of the projects in its current $3.5 billion capital improvements program, Miami-Dade County Public Schools still has a backlog of needs that could be addressed through federal stimulus funding. “We still have hundreds of millions of dollars in ‘shovel-ready’ mode which we now have on hold due to reduced projected revenues,” Victor Alonso, design officer with MDCPS said in a recent email. To date, Alonso reports that the district has awarded approximately 90% of the $3.5 billion Capital Work Plan that was initiated in 2004-2005. Among the projects funded by that program are a $74
The carefully crafted public-private partnership developed to build the estimated $1 billion Port of Miami tunnel has fallen apart, with the equity partner Babcock & Brown of Australia bailing out of the deal, but area elected officials hope to keep the project alive. “We’re looking at everything and will take a step back to look at the opportunities and options,” says Florida Department of Transportation spokesperson Dick Kane. FDOT selected in February 2008 Miami Access Tunnel, comprised of Bouygues Publics Travaux of France and equity partner Babcock & Brown, to design, build, finance, maintain and operate the bored tunnels. The
A sinking economy that has meant fewer tourists in Central Florida and dropping hotel room rates has led to a nearly 5% decline in tourist development tax revenue during the last six months, significantly damaging the City of Orlando’s plans for a $425 million performing arts center and a $175 million renovation of the Florida Citrus Bowl. “We are currently reviewing cost-reduction measures including timing, project schedules, site configuration and other opportunities to reduce the overall project budget,” Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer says in a written statement. The projects are part of a three-venue, downtown improvement package, totaling more than
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