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Chicago city officials celebrated the 90th birthday of the Michigan Avenue Bridge by recalling its engineering marvel as well as its key link to development both north and south of the Chicago River. Photo: Paula Widholm 42nd Ward Alderman Brendan Reilly, Chicago, speaks at a celebration of the 90th birthday of the Michigan Avenue Bridge. From left are Brendan Daley, director of green initiatives for the Chicago Park District; Chicago Department of Transportation Acting Commissioner Thomas Powers; and John Chikow, president and CEO of The Greater North Michigan Avenue Association. As the world�s first double-leaf, double-deck bascule trunnion bridge ever

The second season of construction for the largest transportation project in Wisconsin history is now in full swing as Chicago’s Walsh Construction Co. and its subcontractors replace pavement, bridges, interchanges, frontage roads and storm sewers on sections of Interstate 94 in the southeastern corner of the state. The $1.9-billion reconstruction project will expand Wisconsin’s Interstate 94 from six to eight lanes by adding one lane in each direction. The project is also improving safety by separating frontage roads from highway on- and off-ramps. Contractors begin base preparation for the new lanes on Interstate 94. The new pavement starts with a

To find out what trends are at work in the office-construction market, Midwest Construction talked to a leading developer, two noted architects and three major general contractors. Companies are creating positive working spaces that reflect their cultures and brands. Above, an HOK-designed project provides an example of branding, where a company builds a space that sends a certain message to its employees and visitors. A growing trend for owners is to put office space in mixed-use buildings that also house retail, hotel, condominium, parking and entertainment space, such as in the recently completed Aqua Building in Chicago. Here’s what they

After opening the initial round of bids from three prominent area contractors on Feb. 11 for reconstruction of the Wacker Drive/Congress Parkway Interchange, the City of Chicago disqualified two, then rejected the third for being too expensive. About $2.6 billion in federal stimulus money will be provided to the Upper Midwest for Second Take work. The Chicago-St. Louis line is scheduled to receive $1.1 billion, the most of any Midwest route. Related Links: High-Speed Rail In High Gear The lowest bid, at $73 million, came from a joint venture of F.H Paschen and Cabo Construction Corp. That bid was rejected

One of Chicago’s hottest new boutique hotels is also proving to be high on the energy-efficiency list. TheWit’s low energy consumption comes from a combination of several carefully designed efficiency features.The electric bill for the 27-story, 298-room hotel has run only about $7,000 per month. One example of the building’s efficiency is its extensive use of LED lighting, which draws less current per unit of illumination than incandescent lighting and generates less heat. The building also uses some incandescent and other types of lights where they are the best choice. Since opening in July, theWit, located on State Street in

HONORS SCHMIDT Wayne S. Schmidt, CEO and principal of Schmidt Associates of Indianapolis, was honored at the second annual “Legends IN Design” awards ceremony on March 25 at the Deer Zink Pavilion at The Indianapolis Museum of Art. “Legends IN Design,” sponsored by RJE Business Interiors, was hosted by the Indiana Interior Design Coalition (IIDC), the collective voice of Indiana interior designers, established to protect public health and safety through the adoption of nationally recognized interior design standards. Loebl Schlossman & Hackl of Chicago recently announced the national recognition of healthcare principals Abigail Clary and Mark Nichols. Clary has been

MROWIEC Construction managers and general contractors frequently include provisions in trade contracts and subcontracts granting the construction manager and general contractor discretion to modify the schedule and sequence of the trade contractors’ or subcontractors’ work. Those provisions usually then go on to preclude or limit any additional compensation for the change in schedule or sequence. As one court recently observed: “It is completely reasonable that a construction manager should have total and complete control over a project schedule, along with the ability to change the schedules of trade contractors so as to effectively manage the project.” Electric Machinery Enterprises Inc.

TOENJES Q: We want to improve the communication skills of our executives and some of our managers. I once heard about a large construction-management firm that took the unorthodox approach of hiring a theater company that offered communication-improvement services to business, in addition to the usual. That struck me as an innovative idea because it might be cost-effective. First, do you think something like that is a good way to save money or is it skimping? Beyond that, what is your assessment of executive communication skills? What ideas do you recommend to seek improvements? A: While the theatre certainly is

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has added the Chemetco site, a closed copper smelter in Hartford, Ill., and the Lake Calumet Cluster site in Chicago to the Superfund National Priorities List. Related Links: I-35W Bridge Receives PCA Design Excellence Award IIT Perfect Power Project Receives DOE Stimulus Funding Superfund is the federal program that investigates and cleans up the most complex and uncontrolled hazardous waste sites in the U.S. The Chemetco site is on Illinois Route 3 in Madison County, about 2 mi south of Hartford. It was a secondary copper smelter from 1969 to 2001 before filing Chapter 7