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Plans to increase commercial vehicle inspection capacity at the land port of entry along the Mexico border in Douglas, Ariz., are moving along as the U.S. General Services Administration awarded a $274.7-million design-build contract to Hensel Phelps Construction Co. for a commercial port near an existing U.S. Customs and Border Protection facility.

The planned 80-acre facility would increase the number of commercial vehicle inspection lanes from one to four and the number of commercial inspection docks from 12 to 36, compared with the current Raul Hector Castro Land Port of Entry in Douglas, according to GSA. It would also be large enough to accommodate oversized mining equipment, which is too big for the existing port to handle.

Hensel Phelps, with a team that also includes Jones Studio and Stantec, beat out two other shortlisted design-build teams for the job, GSA procurement records show. The other shortlisted teams were Caddell-AISI, a Joint Venture, and William Charles Construction and Wilson & Co. Engineers and Architects.

Construction is scheduled to start next fall and complete in the fall of 2028.

GSA also selected the contractor this summer for expansion and modernization of the Calexico West Land Port of Entry in California.

GSA is funding the Arizona work with $180.3 million from 2021’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which includes $3.4 billion for building and modernizing land ports of entry, along with $92.2 million from 2022’s Inflation Reduction Act, which set another $3.4 billion for using low-embodied carbon construction materials and making federal facilities more sustainable.

The project is part of the “two-port solution” to address issues with the Castro Land Port of Entry about 4.5 miles away. That 4.8-acre facility was originally built in 1933 and expanded in 1993, but GSA officials say all inbound and outbound trucks must use the same undersized commercial vehicle inspection compound, slowing traffic.

While all commercial operations would be done at the new port, passenger vehicles, pedestrians, cyclists and buses would continue using the Castro Land Port of Entry. GSA also plans to separately expand and modernize that port.

GSA anticipates awarding a separate design-build contract for the Castro Land Port of Entry rehabilitation in the fall of 2027. Work is planned to start the following year and complete in 2031.

By James Leggate

Bally’s Reveals Plans for Development of $1.5B Athletics Ballpark Site in Las Vegas

Newly released documents indicate Bally’s is planning a three-phase development of the site and will add an integrated resort.
Image courtesy Clark County Nevada
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Preliminary planning documents from Clark County, Nev., give a look at what Bally’s Corp. is considering building as part of a baseball-focused redevelopment at the site of the former Tropicana casino and hotel in Las Vegas.

The casino owner is planning to build a $1.5-billion ballpark for the MLB’s Athletics as the team relocates from Oakland, Calif. A joint venture of Mortenson Construction and McCarthy Building Cos. is already in place as construction manager.

The newly released documents, which do not show finalized designs, indicate Bally’s is planning a three-phase development of the site to add an integrated resort. In addition to the 290-ft-tall domed ballpark with 30,000 seats, Phase 1 would include a casino and a 495-ft-tall hotel tower and a 1.8-million-sq-ft parking structure. Phase 2 would add a second 495-ft hotel tower and another 150,000-sq-ft parking structure. Phase 3 would include a third 495-ft-tall hotel separate from the other towers.

The A’s have said they hope to begin construction on the ballpark next year.

By James Leggate

New Mexico Recognized For Reclamation of Former Coal Mine Site

The state of New Mexico’s Mining and Minerals Division’s restoration of a former coal mine site—abandoned for nearly a century—was recognized by the federal Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement with the Abandoned Mine Land Reclamation Award.

According to the state of New Mexico, the project stemmed run-off from two coal waste piles that was eroding a nearby road and threatening to pollute an adjacent stream. The project installed terraces made of straw bales and planted seedlings. This configuration is expected to improve water quality, enhance landscaping and create safe recreational opportunities.