Archer Western Contractors of Arlington has grown significantly since entering the Texas market 16 years ago. The diversified firm is committed to developing and maintaining good working relationships with clients, and it has built major infrastructure projects from light rail to water treatment plants to energy-recovery facilities. Texas Construction magazine selected Archer Western as its 2010 Contractor of the Year. The annual designation recognizes excellence in a contractor’s commitment to construction innovation and best business practices, reputation in the industry, volume of work and safety record. “We’ve established a good reputation here and recruited good people,” says Joe Lee,
At a time when demand remains strong for new and upgraded facilities at colleges and universities, institutions are delaying projects because funding is difficult to obtain. Still, some projects are moving forward. �The education market in the Southeast is flat, which means it�s fairly good compared to other markets,� says Scott MacLeod, Skanska USA Building chief operating officer for the Southeast in Atlanta. �Our two strongest markets in the Southeast are health care and education.� Skanska is building the $140-million, 297,000-sq-ft Hillsborough Hospital and 68,000-sq-ft Medical Office Building for the University of North Carolina Hospitals in Hillsborough, and a $13.9-million
It�s no secret: 2009 was another bad year for many contractors working in the four-state Southeast region. Numerous firms closed their doors for good. Others sold out to bigger, more prosperous contractors. Nationally, unemployment in the construction industry topped 22% at one point in 2009, only to escalate further in 2010. And unless a contractor was able to snag some stimulus work, opportunities remained relatively sparse. In that regard, being recognized as the �Contractor of the Year� for accomplishments in 2009 could be viewed as akin to winning an award for making the best of a bad situation. And by
Tunnels have long snaked through the bedrock beneath New York, carrying people and water, but now the underground labyrinth is growing, with multiple projects under way. div id="articleExtrasA" div id="articleExtrasB" div id="articleExtras" �Some of this work has been in the planning stages for ages but there has been a major push to modernize New York City�s infrastructure over the last decade,� says Gary A. Almeraris, vice president of Skanska USA Civil Northeast of Whitestone, N.Y. He reports the city and transportation authorities have championed the activity, and monies from the federal government, bond initiatives and local dollars have fueled the
Few projects last more than 40 years, but the New York City Department of Environmental Protection�s $6 billion, 60-mi City Water Tunnel No. 3, the largest project in the city�s history, has spanned more than four decades, with one segment open, another under way and several more elements in the works as the department aims for a 2020 completion. �Manhattan has been served by City Water Tunnel No. 1, constructed in 1917, and in order to take that tunnel down to do repairs and replace aging piping, we needed another tunnel,� says Kathryn Mallon, deputy commissioner of the DEP�s bureau
The Florida Dept. of Transportation and concessionaire Miami Access Tunnel officially broke ground in late May on the $1-billion Port of Miami Tunnel project, designed to ease traffic congestion in downtown Miami. Photo: Florida Dept. Of Transportation Two 4,250-ft-long�tunnels will connect Watson Island to Dodge Island, the location of the Port of Miami. Image “Everybody working on this project is very excited,” says Rick Wilson, chief operating officer and technical manager for Miami Access Tunnel (MAT), Miami, which will design, build, finance, operate and maintain the tunnels. A tunnel project in Florida is unique, he says. Design and construction are
Last month, more than 1,100 lb of strategically placed explosives brought down the 24,000-ton, 455-ft-tall cooling tower at the U.S. Dept. of Energy’s Savannah River site in Aiken, S.C., the second largest such structure to be imploded, says the firm. “The implosion surpassed everyone’s expectations,” says Doug Loizeaux, vice president of Controlled Demolition Inc. (CDI), Phoenix, Md. The firm was the explosives preparation and performance subcontractor to American Demolition and Nuclear Decommissioning, Grand Island, N.Y., which received the approximately $4-million contract to implode the former nuclear-site cooling tower and remove debris. The latter task will be handled by LVI Services
Last month, more than 1,100 lb of strategically placed explosives brought down the 24,000-ton, 455-ft-tall cooling tower at the U.S. Dept. of Energy’s Savannah River site in Aiken, S.C., the second largest such structure to be imploded, says the firm. “The implosion surpassed everyone’s expectations,” says Doug Loizeaux, vice president of Controlled Demolition Inc. (CDI), Phoenix, Md. The firm was the explosives preparation and performance subcontractor to American Demolition and Nuclear Decommissioning, Grand Island, N.Y., which received the approximately $4-million contract to implode the former nuclear-site cooling tower and remove debris. The latter task will be handled by LVI Services
Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (I) wielded his veto on May 28, returning $160 million in funds to the state Transportation Trust Fund and $19 million to the Tampa-Hillsborough County Expressway Authority. “It’s awesome,” says Bob Burleson, president of the Florida Transportation Builders’ Association (FTBA) in Tallahassee. “He sent a strong message to the Legislature and future legislatures to keep their hands off the trust fund.” Dick Kane, communications director for the Florida Dept. of Transportation in Tallahassee, issued a statement responding to the governor’s veto, saying, “We appreciate that the Governor recognizes the value and job opportunities the Florida Dept.
Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (I) wielded his veto on May 28, returning $160 million in funds to the state Transportation Trust Fund and $19 million to the Tampa-Hillsborough County Expressway Authority. “It’s awesome,” says Bob Burleson, president of the Florida Transportation Builders’ Association (FTBA) in Tallahassee. “He sent a strong message to the Legislature and future legislatures to keep their hands off the trust fund.” Dick Kane, communications director for the Florida Dept. of Transportation in Tallahassee, issued a statement responding to the governor’s veto, saying, “We appreciate that the Governor recognizes the value and job opportunities the Florida Dept.