The Virginia Dept. of Transportation named McDonough Bolyard Peck of Fairfax, Va., as part of the program management team for the $1-billion Midtown Tunnel project in Hampton Roads. MBP will act as an extension of VDOT's staff, participating in negotiations with the design-build firm to reach a comprehensive agreement and then begin the design and construction phases for the tunnel. The main focus for the PM team through 2010 will be the feasibility determination and viability of the project financing. The feasibility determination is anticipated to be completed by spring 2011. The design and construction phases of the project have
The Fairfax, Va., office of Balfour Beatty Construction was selected to provide preconstruction services and manage construction of the new Washington, D.C., headquarters for NPR, the producer and distributor of news, talk and entertainment programming. Located in a business improvement district of Washington, D.C., the headquarters will transform an historic warehouse into a sustainable 330,000-sq-ft office building. The project was designed by Hickok Cole Architects of Washington, D.C., to achieve LEED Gold specifications. The restored existing warehouse will connect to a new structure with three below-grade levels and seven levels of above-grade office and studio space. The facility will house
Walbridge Southeast, based in Charlotte, N.C., was selected by Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding in Newport News, Va., as construction manager for a new Supplemental Module Outfitting Facility, which will support its contract to construct Virginia-class nuclear submarines for the U.S. Navy. The project includes installation of overhead cranes and utility services, as well as construction of service platforms, offices, administrative space, shops and tool storage buildings. The new facility will house several production bays and will be sized to handle multiple submarine modules. Construction is scheduled to be completed in 2012. Becky Stewart, Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding’s vice president of submarine programs,
Skanska USA’s commercial development business unit broke ground in June on its 10th and G development project at 733 10th Street in Washington, D.C. The company acquired the building’s development rights last fall and is self-financing 100% of the development costs. The 10th and G project, located five blocks from the White House, will consist of eight stories of office space, 165,000 rentable square feet, ground-level retail space, and worship space for First Congregational United Church of Christ. The building was previously being developed by PN Hoffman. The project is the first development project in the U.S. for Skanska USA
How do you pack the construction of four new 14-mile- long lanes, 58 new bridges and 900,000 sq ft of retaining wall into an active highway carrying 200,000 daily vehicles and do it in four years? Virginia’s Capital Beltway expansion team would answer: Pack all the players into one room—early and often. Then, as Virginia Dept. of Transportation senior project manager Larry Cloyed says, the team has to live by the motto “Get it done.” Photo: Courtesy Of Capital Beltway Express LLC As part of the contract, the design-build team is building connections to the Springfield Interchange at the segment’s
As part of an effort to tighten up on companies that misclassify employees as independent contractors, the U.S. Dept. of Labor is considering proposing a rule that would set additional record-keeping and notification requirements for employers concerning their workers' status. Deputy Labor Secretary Seth Harris told a Senate hearing on June 17 that some employers deliberately misclassify workers as independent contractors or "leased" or outsourced workers and can gain an advantage in the market over competitors that adhere to the law. Harris said the department's Wage and Hour Division is mulling a proposed regulation that would require companies to carry
President Obama has directed agencies to dispose of unneeded office space and to take other steps to economize in the federal government's sprawling real-estate portfolio. Related Links: White House Executive Order Memo The goal is to save at least $3 billion by Sept. 30, 2012, said Obama. In an executive order issued on June 10, Obama said, "For decades, the federal government, the largest property owner and energy user in the United States, has managed more real estate than necessary to effectively support its programs and missions. Both taxpayer dollars and energy resources are being wasted to maintain these excess
Upset with a perceived lack of opportunities for Richmond, Va.’s minority contractors, the executive director of the NAACP’s Virginia state conference has threatened “direct action” against current and planned city construction projects. King Salim Khalfani alleges that only 6% of city contracts have minority involvement in planning or construction, reported the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Unless that figure is improved, Khalfani said, the NAACP will disrupt various projects. One tactic would be parking unmarked dump trucks at construction sites to block access. The organization is focusing on projects that are publicly funded or receive government-backed financing. Potential targets include the Richmond Redevelopment
ALEXANDRIA, Va. � Firms looking to boost sagging bottom lines and gain more-robust public-sector construction markets generated a record attendance of more than 550 at this year�s federal and military workload briefings, sponsored by the Society of American Military Engineers in March in Alexandria, Va. Traditional pockets of �milcon� work�such as in base closure and housing�are winding down, officials said. But overseas expansion and new initiatives in energy conservation and facility �quality of life� upgrades are boosting work for the short term, just as new conference attendees were boosting their profiles. The SAME event preceded by one day testimony from
On April 8, 2010, seven Virginia families were awarded $2.6 million in damages by New Orleans federal Judge Eldon Fallon in the pending Chinese Drywall class action litigation. This significant verdict permitted recovery of extensive elements of the claimed damages and made some potentially damaging factual findings. Taking a deeper look at the case highlights the critical importance of understanding applicable law. Crossing a border from one state to a neighbor can have a tremendous potential impact on the legal landscape, rights and risks that attach to a construction project. Findings, Reaction The judge�s opinion contains a number of interesting