With summer here, many construction projects around the southwest are wrapping up while others are just getting underway. Some of the projects getting underway will have some hurdles to jump over before they can get going, while others are looking like they will be relatively smooth and provide great benefit to their respective regions. Also, things are looking up for the housing market in Vegas after a long dry spell. All of that and more in another edition of the Southwest Roundup, some news and notes about the construction industry in Arizona, New Mexico and Nevada.

Very Big Office Project Completed In LV

TWC Construction, Inc. has finished construction of the 465,000 sq. ft. Prologis Las Vegas City Center. Groundbreaking on the project took place in September of 2014 and was the largest project of this type to take place in Las Vegas for nearly ten years. "We are thrilled to have met the very aggressive schedule set forth by our client and delivered this completed building to them on time," said Matt Ryba, CEO of TWC Construction.

LV Housing Market Shows Major Signs Of Recovery

The Las Vegas housing market is showing signs of major recovery heading into the summer according to data released by the Greater Las Vegas Association of Realtors. The numbers showed that an increase in sales of nearly 40 percent in just one month. Similar numbers haven’t been seen in the area since 2006. The strong numbers can’t be attributed specifically to prices, as the median cost of a home in the area stayed steady at $205,000.

Mutual Of Omaha Goes With Ryan Cos.

Ryan Companies US, Inc. has been selected by Mutual of Omaha Insurance Company to manage construction of its new office building which will be located at Cotton Corporate Center in Phoenix. The project will be a three-story building which will be approximately 75,000 sq. ft.

APS Completes $200 Million Electric Transmission Project

After more than a decade of planning, the Arizona Public Service Company (APS) has completed construction of a 500 kilovolt transmission project called HANG2. The transmission line connects Phoenix to Yuma and cost $200 million. Construction on the 110 mile long project began in August of 2013 and spans from the Hassayampa substation to the North Gila substation in Yuma.

Three Solar Projects Approved For NE of LV

Three different proposed solar projects have been approved on federal land northeast of Las Vegas. Invenergys Harry Allen Solar Energy Center, First Solar's Dry Lake Solar Energy Zone Project and NV Energy's Dry Lake Solar Energy Center will pay a total of $5.8 million to the U.S. Bureau of Land Management for the rights to the land in Clark County, according to a recent announcement by the interior department. The projects are expected to be completed by the end of 2016 and will provide power to 132,000 homes, which is better than initial projections for the projects indicated. Construction plans have yet to be finalized.

Calbert Named Executive Of The Year By CFMA

Construction Financial Management Association’s Valley of the Sun Chapter, has named Robert “Bo” Calbert, president of McCarthy Building Companies’ Southwest Region, as executive of the year. Calbert was selected out of four finalists for the award. “It’s an honor to be recognized by the construction industry’s financial professionals who continually strive to improve their knowledge and, by doing so, are integral to the success of our industry,” Calbert said.

ADOT Responds To New So Mtn. Frwy. Lawsuit

Arizona Department of Transportation has responded to legal action that has been taken against South Mountain Freeway. ADOT has stated they are confident that they took all proper legal channels in constructing the freeway and that the Federal Highway Administration will side with them on that. ADOT stated that their environmental review process for the project spanned more than a decade and that the public had many opportunities to become informed about it. Construction of the four-lane freeway is expected to take about four years and will cost $1.75 billion.