A project to improve the US. 160 interchange to Mesa Verde National Park, as well as the U.S. 160 corridor that services the area, is getting a substantial boost with federal funding. The U.S. 160 Mesa Verde Interchange Resurfacing and Improvement Project is set to receive $4.6 million in Public Lands Highway Discretionary Funds from the Federal Highway Administration. The FHWA awards the funds through a nationwide competitive process.
The project is a high priority for the region, due to the highway’s poor condition and increased traffic in national park users.The project has been listed in CDOT’s Statewide Transportation Improvement Program

The American Institute of Architects Colorado West chapter recognized its 2011 architectural design and honor award recipients on Aug. 26 in Snowmass Village, Colo. The five architectural design awards were selected from 42 entries submitted by members of AIA Colorado West. The jury was co-chaired by Miguel Rivera and Juan Miró of Miró Rivera Architects, Austin, Texas. Merit Award for Interior DesignProject: bb’s kitchen, AspenArchitect: Rowland + Broughton Architecture and Urban Design (Aspen and Denver)Merit Award for Residential Architecture (More than $3 Million)Project: Edge House, AspenArchitect: Studio B Architects (Aspen)Merit Award for Residential Architecture ($1 – $3 Million)Project: Wrap House, AspenArchitect:

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

Kiewit, founded in 1884 in Omaha, Neb., as a masonry contractor, has grown into one of the largest construction firms in North America, boasting total revenue close to $10 billion for 2010, with Mountain West regional revenue of $417 million.

Construction professionals from throughout Wyoming congregated in Casper in late July for Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) of Wyoming meetings and events.  
 Courtesy of ABC of Wyoming Team Groathouse won the annual ABC of Wyoming golf tournament in Casper this summer. Left to right: Billy Brewer and Cayde Johnson with Groathouse Construction (Laramie/Cody/Casper) and Ray Drzymala with MOA Architecture. The annual summer event kicked off with the first annual ABC Wyoming Cup golf tournament at the Paradise Valley Country Club. The ABC Cup exceeded expectations with more than 90 players participating in the tournament. Top honors went to the

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

Alliance Construction Solutions, Denver, has broken ground on TownPlace Suites by Marriott Hotel in Gateway Business Park near Pena Boulevard in Denver. Designed for comfortable extended stays, the 99 guest rooms at TownPlace Suites feature full-sized kitchens. The four-story hotel also includes swimming and exercise facilities, guest laundry, interior and exterior fireplaces, a barbecue patio and breakfast room.According to Alliance Executive Vice President Brian Weinmaster, the construction schedule is nine months for the $6-million, 58,000-sq-ft project.Arapahoe Development is the project owner. Among significant project partners are Pahl Architecture and owner’s representative Vertex Construction Services.