Photo courtesy of Tampa Bay Water Tampa's 120-MGD water-treatment plant is one of the largest U.S. drinking-water projects delivered to date via a DBO mechanism. In Florida last year, one of the largest drinking-water projects in the U.S. was completed via a design-build-operate contract and is now operational. However, despite its success, the project apparently has failed to inspire a trend toward an increased use of DBO elsewhere. Nevertheless, an industry expert believes cash-strapped small utilities may soon be forced to privatize their water-facility production and operations.Veolia Water North America served as construction manager at-risk for a 50-million-gal-per-day expansion of
The overall value of new Florida construction contracts fell precipitiously in July, for a monthly total of less than $1.6 billion, according to McGraw-Hill Construction, publisher of Engineering News-Record. The monthly total was a 60% decline from the same period of a year ago. Related Links: Residential Sector Boosts Georgia Contract Activity in July North Carolina Contracts Jump 58% in July South Carolina Contracts Decline 13% in July The biggest dropoff was in the nonbuilding sector, which includes infrastructure contracts. Its July total of $442.2 million was 83% lower than the nearly $2.6 billion recorded last July. The nonresidential category
Due to a burst of infrastructure contracts, North Carolina’s overall total for new construction climbed an estimated 58% in July, for a total of more than $1.8 billion, according to McGraw-Hill Construction, publisher of Engineering News-Record. Related Links: Fla. Contracts Experience Dog Days in July Residential Sector Boosts Georgia Contract Activity in July South Carolina Contracts Decline 13% in July The company estimated the value of North Carolina’s July nonbuilding contracts at $897.1 million, well ahead of last July’s $180.3 million total for this sector. The other two construction sectors were down slightly for the month. Residential contracts totaled $470.6
New contracts for future Georgia construction activity increased by 10% in July, according to McGraw-Hill Construction, publisher of Engineering News-Record. The state recorded $957.4 million in new contracts during the month. Related Links: Fla. Experiences Dog Days in July North Carolina Contracts Jump 58% in July South Carolina Contracts Decline 13% in July Residential provided most of the increase. For July, this category was 37% ahead of last year’s pace, with an estimated $402.4 million in new contracts moving forward. Nonresidential contracts also posted an increase, of 3%, for a nearly $397.3 million total. The nonbuilding sector, which includes infrastructure
A significant decline in infrastructure work caused South Carolina’s overall total for July construction contracts to decline by 13%, for a total of $482.3 million, according to McGraw-Hill Construction, publisher of Engineering News-Record. Related Links: North Carolina Contracts Jump 58% in July Residential Sector Boosts Georgia Contract Activity in July Fla. Contracts Experience Dog Days in July In July, the nonbuilding sector, which includes infrastructure, fell 56% compared to the same period of a year ago, for a total of just $76.6 million in new contracts. Residential contracts fell, too, by 5%, for a $242.4 million total. Nonresidential experienced a
Thousands of Imad Naffa's digital devotees are mourning the Sept. 6 loss of the industry social-networking pioneer whose Twitter posts seemed omnipresent. Naffa, a civil engineer, building-code software developer and entrepreneur, had a fatal heart attack in Fresno, Calif., at age 49, according to a post by Loretta Naffa, his wife and the office manager of his firm, Naffa International.Dubbed the “Twitter King” by BusinessNewsDaily.com, an online publication for startups, Naffa claimed more than 56,000 followers. He was second among construction tweeters, says Wefollow.com, a website that ranks registered Twitter users based on the number of followers and “influence.” Matt
Nightmarish ground conditions and a fast-tracked schedule are not stopping the design-build team for a 1.2-million-sq-ft airplane assembly plant in South Carolina from delivering the building in just 18 months and on budget. There was no time for a learning curve for the 1,037-ft x 616-ft Boeing Co. facility, which encloses the equivalent of 12 football fields, says the team. “Speed was the [project's] overriding theme,” says Kenny Anderson, project executive for BE&K Building Group, Charlotte, N.C. “We signed a contract on Nov. 7, 2009, and within 10 days we were breaking ground.”BE&K joint-ventured with longtime partner Turner Construction Co.,
As Southeast specialty contractors hold on for what seems like an ever-elusive recovery, successful firms are getting as lean as possible, watching their bottom lines and adjusting to a “new normal” with a mix of discipline and expanded services. Photo courtesy of KHS&S Contractors A worker with KHS&S Contractors puts the finishing touches on the Cheetah Run area at Tampas Busch Gardens. For now, it's all about survival, as the Southeast's market for specialty-contracting services continues to run lean and, sometimes, mean. The numbers reveal the downward slide that firms are enduring.This year's Top Specialty Contractors ranking includes 110 firms,
Photo courtesy of TEDx Engineer Imad Naffa, at industry conference in May, was a strong advocate of social networking. Related Links: TEDx Dead Sea Imad Naffa Video Imad Naffa, a civil engineer and building code software developer who propelled his "passion for people" to become a global social media networking phenomenon, died suddenly on Sept. 6 in Fresno, Calif. He was 49 and suffered a fatal heart attack, according to a Twitter post by Loretta Naffa, his wife and office manager.The death of Naffa, a self-proclaimed "Twitterologist," generated a buzz among his followers, who numbered more than 56,000, making him
Related Links: Gov. Scott OKs Construction of Central Florida's $1.3B SunRail Commuter Rail Project Fla. Legislators Raid $150M From State Road Fund Top Start: I-4/Selmon Expressway Connector Despite uncertainty over future funding, the Florida Dept. of Transportation is banking on low bids and private-sector financing as it accelerates an estimated $1.2 billion in projects in an effort to boost the state's stagnant jobs situation. At the same time, the agency is rolling out a plan to aggressively expand the use of tolls to add capacity throughout the state’s network of interstate highways and major bridges.Calling the stream of revenue derived
