After more than two years, the $40-million terminal expansion at Gallatin Field Airport near Bozeman, Mont., is winding down. The expansion portion, which broke ground in May 2009, opened on time in August, and now the remodeling of the original building is under way. Completion is due by year-end, in time for the holiday rush and winter peak season. The project, led by Bozeman-based Martel Construction, is the largest terminal expansion project ever in Montana. A three-story addition more than doubles the terminal's size to nearly 200,000 sq ft from 75,000 sq ft. Currently, the airport serves about 750,000 passengers

Mountain States contractors continue to sing much the same song as last year—a tired blues number about tight competition, low margins and declining backlogs that most of them know by heart. Revenue for all but a handful of regional contractors declined again in 2010, especially for heavy-highway firms, whose leaders are growing increasingly concerned about declining state and federal funding for roads and other infrastructure.“Utah spent approximately $1.6 billion in 2010 in transportation funding. The current budget estimates that 2011 [spending] will be $300 million,” says Jeff Clyde, vice president of the heavy division at WW Clyde, Salt Lake City.

For decades, traffic congestion in the southern Utah city of St. George was limited to St. George Boulevard, which would swell with traffic during the spring and summer as tourists and retirees crowded into the area to enjoy its temperate climate and nearby national parks. Photo courtesy of UDOT The Dixie Drive Interchange will relieve congestion on I-15 through St. George, Utah. From 2000 to 2005, St. George was the fastest-growing metropolitan region in the U.S., according to census data, and traffic congestion was becoming a regular occurrence. During the height of the population boom in this city about 100

The August 20 grand opening of the new Walking Mountains Science Center in Avon offers visitors a glimpse at a special place that teaches kids about outdoor science—through the vantage point of a green lens. Courtesy of R.A. Nelson The new Walking Mountains Science Center in Avon has sustainable features throughout, including these solar shades on the windows. The center itself is a lesson in sustainability. The building offers energy consumption that’s cut in half, an environmental footprint that creates minimal impact on the local ecosystem and serves as an industry model for environmentally friendly construction practices.The green education center,

Denver’s GE Johnson Construction Co. is well under way with the transformation of the César E. Chávez Memorial Building in Denver into a state-of-the-art, high-performing green building—one with an entirely new skin over its 1982 bones. Courtesy of GE Johnson Construction/Tryba Architects Approximately 50% of the buildings temporary barrier walls have been installed, allowing for exterior skin demolition on the north side of the building, with crews moving from east to west. Courtesy of GE Johnson Construction/Tryba Architects The new facade is comprised of prefabricated, 15-ft-wide, two-tone aluminum panels that meet new federal standards for waterproofing, energy efficiency and blast

Loveland, Colo.-based developer McWhinney recently awarded LVI Environmental Services of Denver a $1.2-million contract for the green deconstruction/demolition of the abandoned Cloverleaf Kennel Club near the intersection of I-25 and Highway 34 in Loveland. Courtesy of McWhinney Development Demolition of the 56-year-old dog track started in early August and is projected to be complete by mid-November. Initial stages of removal of the 56-year-old facility, located at 2527 NW Frontage Rd., started in early August and is projected to be completed by mid-November.  Poudre Valley Health System currently owns the property, which has been unused for more than three years, but

Construction on the new $230-million East Tower at Children’s Hospital Colorado in Aurora reached a milestone with the early July topping out of the 10-story structure. Courtesy of The Children's Hospital The new East Tower will connect to the existing 1.4-million-sq-ft, 298-bed Childrens Hospital Colorado facility. The expansion is being built by the joint venture team of McCarthy Building Cos. Inc. and GH Phipps, in conjunction with design partners H+L Architecture and ZGF Architects LLP under an integrated project delivery tri-party agreement.
The new East Tower will connect to the existing 1.4-million-sq-ft, 298-bed Children’s Hospital Colorado facility built by the same

CARE Housing’s Provincetowne, one of Colorado’s newest green-built, affordable multifamily communities, recently celebrated its grand opening in Fort Collins, Colo.  The property consists of 64 two-bedroom and 21 three-bedroom townhouse and apartment-style homes.   Photo courtesy of Drahota The Provincetowne ribbon-cutting included (left to right): Mark Holmes, executive director, CARE Housing; Dawn Davis, commercial lender, FirstBank and CARE Housing Board president; Sister Mary Alice Murphy, founding member, CARE; State Representative John Kefalas; State Representative Randy Fischer; and Terry Drahota, president & CEO, Drahota. Provincetowne will be completely smoke-free and features a community center with a computer lab and children’s play

The recent completion of a streetscape renovation of Fillmore Plaza in Denver’s Cherry Creek North Business Improvement District allows the plaza to be easily converted from a special events venue into an open street for limited vehicle traffic. Courtesy of Design Workshop The new Fillmore Plaza serves as the gateway to Cherry Creeks popular retail and dining district. The plaza redesign is the final improvement of The New North, the districts privately funded, 16-block, $18.5-million streetscape project. Other key goals of the project were to increase pedestrian “dwell time” and establish the area as a citywide destination for multiple activities.

Construction manager/general contractor Pinkard Construction Co., Lakewood, Colo., with Barker Rinker Seacat Architecture, Denver, recently completed the $5.3-million Brighton Oasis Family Aquatic Park in Brighton, Colo. Courtesy of Pinkard Construction The new park, which replaces the citys 50-year-old outdoor pool at Benedict Park, has a large pool area, two slides and a lazy river with a wave machine. The new park, which replaces the city’s 50-year-old outdoor pool at Benedict Park, has a large pool area, two slides and a lazy river with a wave machine.
Pinkard completed the hyper-fast-tracked Oasis ahead of schedule and under budget despite losing the two