California City Scoop: Construction Starts in Riverside

Before COVID-19 Outbreak, Value of New Contracts Was Expected to Fall by 11%

The non-residential, non-building and residential categories had all been forecast to decline.

City Grill

Brian Cahill
President
Balfour Beatty

Cahill reports that education markets across Riverside, Calif., and the Inland Empire remain strong despite the COVID-19 pandemic. “Due to the critical nature of education work, our operations have seen a few upsides in this sector, including the opportunity to accelerate project schedules due to empty campuses,” says Cahill, who notes that districts are upgrading capital resource sustainability, creating a backlog.

Balfour Beatty’s portfolio in K-12 and higher education includes work on Chino Valley United School District’s facilities program, Mount San Jacinto College’s stadium project and Hemet United School District’s modernization and addition project for Winchester Elementary School.

“With the majority of education projects being funded by bond packages, the future of this sector will rely on the support of voters in the upcoming election and a potential stimulus package that focuses on education infrastructure to drive economic growth across the state,” he says.

Meanwhile, Cahill says demand is up for wastewater projects as the state looks to mandate water districts and co-generation to improve energy efficiency.