Japanese automaker Nissan’s North American division is expected to move quickly to select a construction manager to expand and re-tool its Smyrna, Tenn., manufacturing complex on the heels of a Jan. 28 announcement that it will receive a $1.4 billion U.S. Dept. of Energy loan to manufacture the LEAF, a zero-emission, all-electric vehicle. A contractor member of the Associated General Contractors of Tennessee says proposals were “accepted and fully vetted” by Nissan long before the closure of the loan agreement and that the Yokohama-based auto manufacturer is “ready to roll” with construction. Nissan plans to build a 1.3-million-sq-ft facility at

Following a decade of study and debate, Nashville this month will begin clearing a 16-acre downtown site for the controversial $585-million Music City Convention Center. Photo: Music City Convention Center Authority Sweet song Music City Convention Center will inject more than $500 million into Nashville’s economy. A 1,000-room hotel to be located nearby would add another $300 million. The Nashville Metro Council voted 29-9 in January to approve the financing plan, despite questions about the city’s ability to pay off construction debt approaching $40 million a year. The 1.2-million-sq-ft convention center is scheduled to open in early 2013. The construction-management-at-risk

After lying dormant for five years, a project that will dramatically improve a Birmingham federal building’s energy efficiency was re-energized by American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding. The Robert Vance Federal Building, built in 1921, will receive new mechanical and electrical systems, as well as other enhancements, when construction is completed in 2012. Birmingham, Ala. Photo: Hoar Construction LLC Birmingham Federal office building in Birmingham, Ala., finally receives energy-efficiency upgrades. Related Links: Stimulus: A Snapshot of Top Shovel-, Wrench- and Pencil-Ready Projects The General Services Administration project was a long time coming. A design contract awarded in 2004 to Quinn

The Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Dept. says its $1.1 billion worth of ready-to-go projects is a result of a historic �short end of the stick.� Some of the projects have been waiting for funding since 1999. Related Links: Questions Swirl On Stimulus Plan �Ready to Go� May Be The Stimulus Ticket “If we’re near the top of this list, that just means we’re near the bottom of the list of states having the money for building these projects,” says ASHTD spokesman Glenn Bolick. “We passed a $1-billion interstate rehabilitation program in 1999, then ran out of money about five