With recent legal action against the Environmental Protection Agency, Texas, Virginia and Alabama added fuel to a firestorm of complaints against the EPA’s proposed regulation of greenhouse gas emissions. Related Links: Anzalduas Bridge Creates Another Texas-Mexico Pathway $12 Million in Stimulus Funding Dedicated to Belton Dam Repairs PHA Approves $235 Million Sale of Tax Refunding Bonds New Supercritical Plant Employs New Environmental Controls EPA Awards $13 Mil to Okla. Dept. of Environment Quality Almost $600 Million in Water Project Funding Allocated On Feb. 16, Texas Gov. Rick Perry announced at a press conference in Austin that Texas, which emits more
The Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority and the Texas Transportation Commission closed on a $31.6-million loan from the State Infrastructure Bank for the US 290 East (Manor Expressway) project in the Austin area. Related Links: NorthGate Constructors Begins Work on Massive DFW Connector New Data Shows Open-Road Tolling Improves Toll Plaza Safety State Approves $56 Million in Alternatively Financed Projects Odessa Reliever Route Overpass Among Prop. 14 Projects The loan will help fund right-of-way acquisition and utility relocation on a 1.4-mi segment of the roadway between U.S. 183 and Springdale Road. The segment, when combined with a new flyover interchange
Construction firms are discovering that monitoring and analyzing safety observations collected electronically can improve safety by identifying hazards and taking action to eliminate problem areas. Photo: Jordan Construction Crew members enter SafetyNet data in the field. Photo: Jordan Construction Jordan Construction crews enter SafetyNet data in the field, tracking safety and quality information by documenting observations in various categories. “We’re trying to drive all incidents to zero,” says Cindy L. DePrater, vice president and corporate director of safety and loss control for Turner Construction Co. in Dallas. “If we know what we should be looking for out on the job,
The 125 Texas firms in our 15th annual Top Contractor rankings collectively billed about $24 billion in the state in 2009, a decrease of about $1 billion reported from the 2008, when we listed an additional five firms for a total of 130. Worldwide, the collective revenue generated by the 125 participating firms decreased from the previous year by about $20 billion; $80.4 billion was reported from all revenue worldwide compared to the previous year’s $102.8 billion. That $80.4 billion, however, is not drastically different than the $82.5 billion from the Top Contractors total of 2007, considered by many to
Diversification, backlogs and sharp pencils have kept some Texas contractors at the top of their game. A snapshot of this is seen in the profiles of the following six firms. Photo: Don Krueger Construction Don Krueger Construction is building Victoria West High School and Harold Cade Middle School in South Texas. E. E. Reed Construction recently completed the 25-story Legacy at Memorial apartment complex in Houston. Don Krueger Construction “We had our best year ever,” says Kevin R. Krueger, president of Don Krueger Construction in Victoria. “We got lucky and got most of our work the summer before everything went
Even though the idea of living in a community with easy access to jobs, public transit or freeways remains popular in Texas, not many projects are moving forward. Photo: TBG Partners TBG Partners provided landscape architecture and site-planning services for the Park 17 community in Dallas. Photo: UDR A rendering of the $1-billion Vitruvian Park, developed by UDR of Denver as an infill redevelopment project in Addison. Andres Construction of Dallas is building the first phase of residential and retail. “There’s still a huge interest by developers for mixed use, but financing is in disarray,” says David Lake, a partner
For contractors needing to renew their insurance policies, the process is going to be difficult or manageable depending on where they work. For contractors operating in such subprime swamps as Florida, Nevada, California, North Carolina or Arizona, commercial and liability insurance will likely prove harder and more expensive than in past years. In some states, however, contractors are finding it easier to renew—but not for heart-warming reasons.. So many small contractors have gone under that insurance providers suddenly have to compete for clients. In Texas, financially stable firms with decent backlogs aren’t finding it particularly difficult to renew or expand
WHITLEY Even in today’s difficult economic climate, the federal government is planning, funding and building projects. This may appeal to otherwise private commercial contractors and subcontractors seeking to fill the void left by the recession. Contracting with the federal government can be profitable, but it can also be dangerous for those new to the process. The following are just a few examples of complex federal contracting laws to consider and should be fully understood by before entering the world of federal contracting. Authority Structure The authority structure of the federal government is rigid and must be respected. Different government personnel
As many commercial contractors know, construction management-at-risk (or CM-at-risk) has become a preferred delivery method in many markets such as education and health care. CM-at-risk engages the builder early in the development process and entails a commitment by the contractor to deliver the project within a guaranteed maximum price, or GMP. In Texas, CM-at-risk has been primarily limited to commercial construction in the public sector; but in 2007, legislation changed the definition of what makes a project eligible for CM-at-risk delivery. CM-at-risk is now an option for public agencies responsible for infrastructure such as water utilities, flood control, transit and
Skanska USA announced that its building unit in San Antonio was the recipient of multiple health-care construction awards at the 2009 Annual Excellence in Construction Competition hosted by the Associated Builders and Contractors of South Texas. Skanska won the Mega Projects Award, the Healthcare Award, the Institutional Award and the Gold S.T.E.P. Award for Safety. Skanska USA also announced it has completed construction on the Texas Southmost College Arts Center Building in Brownsville. MIYAKODA MENDENHALL LONG TBG Partners promoted employees at three of its four Texas offices. In Dallas/Fort Worth, Kent T. Mendenhall was promoted to principal; in Houston, Yan