With the Florida Dept. of Transportation poised to start an estimated $170 million in civil construction work with the first of more than $2 billion in federal dollars for America�s first high-speed rail system, the agency�s High-Speed Rail Industry Forum Nov. 8-9 in Orlando drew more than 1,500 attendees, many of whom were interested in winning future contracts. The purpose of the two-day forum was to inform interested parties about the contracts to be let, the bidding schedule and requirements. Photo by Debra Wood Attendees to the forum could board a Siemens high-speed rail train. Image courtesy FDOT On the
Bulldozers may soon be pushing dirt in the Everglades following the issuance Sept. 3 of new marching orders from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to the State of Florida to improve the quality of water entering the Everglades Protection Area. The agency was acting in response to pressure from an April U.S. District Court decision ordering EPA and the state to begin enforcing the water quality standards mandated by Florida’s 1994 Everglades Forever Act and the Federal Clean Water Act. Work is under way on the 2,000-acre Lakeside Ranch Stormwater Treatment Area, but EPA has ordered Florida to create 42,000
Alamo Iron Works in San Antonio announced the appointment of Francis “Duffy” Shea as president of the company. In this position, he will be responsible for all aspects of AIW’s steel and industrial supply business. Shea has over two decades of experience in the industrial marketplace and supply distribution. LJA employees earn Professional Engineer�s Licenses from the state of Texas. LJA Engineering Inc. announced that five employees in the firm’s Houston office recently received Professional Engineer’s License from the State of Texas. They are: Jared Ciarella, PE, Sean Wallace, PE, Mehdi Nezami, PE, Jeff Ebersole, PE and Amanda Carriage, PE,
Balfour Beatty Construction of Plantation, in partnership with James A. Cummings of Fort Lauderdale, was awarded a contract to manage construction for the Terminal 4 Gate Replacement at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. Valued at approximately $100 million, the project is part of the Broward County Aviation Dept.’s $1-billion expansion program. div id="articleExtrasA" div id="articleExtrasB" div id="articleExtras" Intended to make room for the extension of the south runway, the project represents the first of two phases that will replace the existing concourse and alter its orientation from north-south to east-west. Preconstruction for the project is slated to begin in the fall,
Work on the fourth and final $260.3-million package for the new Orlando Veterans Administration Medical Center will start in mid-October, as Brasfield & Gorrie begins building out the 1.1 million-sq-ft hospital and landscaping on the $665 million, 65-acre medical campus. The contractor was awarded the project in early September. “The schedule is very aggressive, 720 calendar days, which is a little quicker than normal for that size hospital,” says George Paulson, project executive of Brasfield & Gorrie of Lake Mary, Fla., who expects a notice to proceed on October 13, 2010. Becky Guogus, a biomedical engineer with the Orlando VA,
The value of new construction contracts in the state of Georgia sank by 46% overall in August, according to McGraw-Hill Construction, publisher of Southeast Construction. During the month, the state of Georgia experienced roughly $671 million in new contracts for future construction activity, well down from last August’s $1.2-billion tally. div id="articleExtrasA" div id="articleExtrasB" div id="articleExtras" The nonbuilding market’s pace of new contracts dove by 61% compared to a year ago, registering $152.3 million in new projects, down from the $391.9 million of a year ago. The value of new nonresidential contracts fell by a similar pace, dropping 55% to
BD (Becton, Dickinson and Co.), a medical technology company based in New Jersey, announced plans to invest $38 million in a new distribution center in Four Oaks, N.C. div id="articleExtrasA" div id="articleExtrasB" div id="articleExtras" Plans call for a 720,000-sq-ft facility to be constructed on 130 acres in the Four Oaks Business Park, with capacity for expansion to more than 1.1 million sq ft. BD expects construction to complete by mid-2011, and the facility to begin receiving product in late 2011. The project is pursuing LEED certification.
The Fulton County Board of Education awarded Evergreen Construction of Atlanta a $45-million contract to build the new Bethany Road High School in Milton. Site work has begun, with the school scheduled to open in August 2012. Image Courtesy CGLS Architects Evergreen Construction is building the $45-million Bethany High School. div id="articleExtrasA" div id="articleExtrasB" div id="articleExtras" The 320,885-sq-ft, two-story high school was designed by Chapman Griffin Lanier Sussenbach Architects of Atlanta. It will feature 99 instructional units and can support an enrollment of over 1,900 students. Parsons Corp. is Fulton County Schools’ program manager. School amenities include a 600-seat performance
The value of new construction contracts for future construction in Florida fell by 17% overall in August, led by major declines in both the nonresidential and nonbuilding categories, according to McGraw-Hill Construction, publisher of Southeast Construction. During August, the state experienced slightly more than $1.4 billion in new contracts for future construction. The previous August, the value of contracts totaled more than $1.7 billion. div id="articleExtrasA" div id="articleExtrasB" div id="articleExtras" The nonresidential market fell 29% during August to tally nearly $405.9 million, down from the $575.5 million recorded last August. The value of nonbuilding contracts fell 35% in August, for
Turner Construction Co. has begun work on a new $100-million contract to renovate and expand Harrah’s Cherokee Hotel Casino in Cherokee, N.C. div id="articleExtrasA" div id="articleExtrasB" div id="articleExtras" The project will add 110,000 sq ft of gaming floor area to the casino, while renovating the existing 130,000 sq-ft gaming floor. The scope of work will also provide bars, restaurants and entertainment stages to the casino and hotel. A 70-foot interior waterfall and rotunda area also will be added. Completion is scheduled for January 2013. The project is part of a renovation and expansion program undertaken by the Eastern Band of