The warning shot came in a federal court in Louisiana, and it may signal the beginning of the end of one more costly aspect of the homebuilding boom of 2004-2007. Federal Judge Eldon Fallon in New Orleans ordered Taishan Gypsum Co. Ltd. to pay seven Virginia families a total of $2.6 million to remediate defective Chinese-made drywall in their homes. The case is the first of several class-action lawsuits filed against manufacturers of material that has proven to be a veritable nightmare—and source of odors—for thousands of home-owners. + Image Source: U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission Photo: AP/Wideworld Consumer Product
The Florida Dept. of Transportation has hired a team of Kansas City, Mo.-based HNTB Corp. and Wilbur Smith Associates of Columbia, S.C., to serve as program managers for its Florida Rail Enterprise. The FRE is the newly launched agency that will oversee Florida's development of inter-city high-speed rail service. Related Links: Rail Advocates Have High Hopes for Future Funding Nazih Haddad, FRE’s chief operating officer, said HNTB and WSA will assist the agency’s staff on an ongoing basis in developing the state’s HSR program. The two companies had previously worked together as general consultants to the state in its long-term
The city of Orlando has approved the sale of an additional $69 million in bonds to partially plug a gaping funding hole in its originally $1.1-billion Community Venues building program and kick-start construction of the $250-million first phase of the city's new performing arts center. Image courtesy Dr. P. Phillips Performing Arts Center The city of Orlando has approved an additional $69 million in bonds to start construction of the $250-million first phase of its new performing arts center. Funding for the second piece of Orlando’s venues program had taken a hit when revenues from the tourist development tax plunged
Orlando has approved the sale of $69 million in bonds to partially plug a gaping funding hole in its originally priced $1.1-billion downtown building program and kick-start construction of the $250-million first phase of the city’s new performing-arts center. Photo: DPAC Performance center will go forward with mix of private funds and public bonds. Funding for the second piece of the city’s venues program shrank when the recession cut revenue from the tourist development tax (TDT). The city had originally budgeted $130 million for the project; to date, TDT has generated only $10 million. Roughly $70 million in Community Redevelopment
The city of Orlando has approved the sale of an additional $69 million in bonds to partially plug a gaping funding hole in its originally $1.1-billion Community Venues building program and kick-start construction of the $250-million first phase of the city’s new performing arts center. Photo: Orlando Magic The Amway Center, future home of the Orlando Magic, is scheduled for an October opening near downtown Orlando. Funding for the second piece of Orlando’s venues program had taken a hit when revenue from the tourist development tax plunged as a result of the recession. The city had originally planned to have
Private investors will be interested in high-speed-rail projects-if the federal funding stream remains consistent, experts say. Photo courtesy U.S. High Speed Rail Association Nazih Haddad, COO of the Florida Rail Enterprise, stated Florida will need further federal funds before it can proceed with its Tampa-Orlando HSR project. Related Links: Florida HSR Power Point Presentation at USHSR Conference In particular, advocates are hoping the $2.5-billion Tampa-Orlando line will prove the mode’s viability. However, that project still lacks about $1.2 billion in funding. The assurance of future federal funding is a key first step in attracting necessary private-sector investment, said Michael Cant,
Private investors will be interested in high-speed-rail projects—if the federal funding stream remains consistent, experts say. In particular, advocates are hoping the $2.5-billion Tampa-Orlando line will prove the mode’s viability. However, it still needs about $1.2 billion more to be completed. Photo: Scott Judy / ENR High-speed-rail line in Florida could be potential national showcase. The assurance of future federal funding is a key first step in attracting necessary private-sector investment, said Michael Cant, vice president of financial advisory services, SMI International Financial Advisory Group, Montreal. He led a session on private-sector financing this month at a conference in Orlando
Throughout this issue of Southeast Construction, public works projects are front and center. Here, we provide a look at the strength of the market as a whole, and how contractors are fighting to win work in this critical construction sector. Photo: Dwayne Easterling, Jacobs Associates The $305-million South Cobb Tunnel, currently under construction in Cobb County, Ga., is one of the larger public-works projects under way in the four-state Southeast region. But it’s certainly not the only one. Image: City of Orlando Orlando’s “Venues” building program also includes a $425-mi llion performing-arts center. The center’s design team includes: HKS Architects,
It’s been a long time coming, but the final piece of the city of Jacksonville’s Better Jacksonville Plan is finally becoming a reality. Turner Construction Co. is leading the $224-million design-build construction of the Duval County Courthouse. Construction started last April, with scheduled completion in May 2012. Turner vice president and operations manager David Reaves says the company expects to top out the seven-story, 800,000-sq-ft structure in April. Image: Turner Construction The new Duval County Courthouse, designed by KBJ Architects of Jacksonville, Fla. Turner Construction Co. is leading the construction of the $224-million project. Related Links: Public Works: Industry’s Salvation
Odebrecht Construction of Coral Gables, Fla., has completed repairs at Haiti�s Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Port-au-Prince, enabling commercial carriers to resume service to and from Haiti�s capital beginning Feb. 19. Slide Show Photo courtesy Odebrecht Construction Odebrecht Construction of Coral Gables, Fla., oversaw repairs to the Port-au-Prince airport. Representatives of Dallas-based American Airlines and Odebrecht toured the devastated city four days after the Jan. 12 earthquake. According to Odebrecht, the contractor immediately assembled a team to repair and rebuild the airport’s commercial terminal. The contractor is currently performing more than $1 billion in construction at Miami International Airport’s North