Members of the Associated Builders and Contractors Rocky Mountain Chapter were recognized May 21 by their peers in the commercial construction industry for outstanding safety achievements at the annual Associated Builders and Contractors Safety and Scholarship Awards Banquet. More than 170 ABC members and guests were in attendance at the Denver Marriott City Center in downtown Denver. Photo courtesy of ABC Rocky Mountain Eric Montgomery of CNA Surety (far left) poses with the representatives from Diamond STEP winners (from left): Bergelectric Corp., Hensel Phelps, HITT Contracting, Mortenson Construction and TIC - The Industrial Co. The Safety Training and Evaluation Process

Work on the troubled VA hospital replacement project in Aurora, Colo., will likely not stop this weekend as many insiders had feared, if a hastily scheduled U.S. House vote set for late Thursday succeeds in raising the funding cap for the project, currently set at $800 million. The project will reach that cap by this Sunday. A bill introduced Thursday by U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman (R-Colo.)—HR 2496, the Construction Authorization and Choice Improvement Act—will help keep the hospital project from shutting down over the weekend by raising the authorization cap to $900 million.Recent estimates by the VA and Army Corps

Stargate School in Thornton, Colo., recently broke ground on a new $51-million, 43-acre educational campus. It is the largest charter school project in Colorado and the second current largest one in the nation. Rendering by SLATERPAULL | Hord Coplan Macht The new charter campus will include two academic buildings, a fieldhouse and an amphitheater. The new campus will include two academic buildings, a fieldhouse and an amphitheater to cater to the school’s 750-plus gifted and talented student population.The expansion includes a high school and a total enrollment goal of 1,600 students in grades K-12. The new school will include a quad-style

Originally built as a school in 1909, the Mission Revival-style building in Breckenridge, Colo., had served many uses. As is the case with many historic buildings, it was “remuddled” along the way, and by 2010 was in dire need of revitalization. Photo courtesy of Anderson Hallas Architects The former schoolhouse, built in 1909, was transformed into the Breckenridge Grand Vacations Community Center. Photo courtesy of Anderson Hallas Architects The center's Main Reading Room features large open spaces, a mezzanine level and a high ceiling with exposed steel and wood trusses. As the steward of the building, the town of Breckenridge

The new Metro Caring Hunger Relief Center in Denver’s North Capitol Hill neighborhood has been serving clients since mid-March, but its “official” opening in late April was a celebration for the community, volunteers and supporters. Photo courtesy of GH Phipps The first floor includes a upscale reception desk, a waiting area, private offices for consultations with clients, a warehouse space and a market area. Photo courtesy of GH Phipps At 16,000 sq ft, the new building is triple the size of the old one, a deteriorating structure built in the 1950s. At 16,000 sq ft, the new building is triple

Bryan Construction Inc., a Colorado Springs-based construction management and general contracting firm, will merge with Terry Drahota and his Fort Collins and Steamboat Springs-based construction operations as part of an operating group of Bryan Construction. The firm will do business as Drahota – A Bryan Construction Co., headquartered out of Fort Collins. Bryan Construction will maintain its brand, operating as Bryan Construction out of its Colorado Springs headquarters along with its Denver location. Bryan has also had a Fort Collins office since 2005. The incorporation of the Drahota people and resources will place Bryan Construction among the top general contractors

Take a growing population, add a shrinking budget and aging infrastructure, then toss in daily traffic jams plus a few snowstorms, rock slides and floods. That's the recipe of challenges that annually confronts the Colorado Dept. of Transportation, ENR Mountain States' 2015 Colorado Owner of the Year. Related Links: Pecos Bridge Replacement Project Wins National ACEC Award U.S. 36 Project Provides State With Nearly 250 Jobs The 3,000-member agency is fighting back with innovative strategies that include adding more tolled express lanes on major freeways, seeking out public-private partnerships (P3s) for developing and maintaining roadways, creating a new emphasis on

In recent years, large-scale highway and commuter-rail projects have dominated the transportation landscape in Utah, but last summer, after many years of what might be called a long-delayed takeoff, the Salt Lake City Dept. of Airports (SLCDA) broke ground on the largest project in its history—a $1.8-billion complete replacement of the Salt Lake City International Airport Terminal.

Large transportation infrastructure projects led the list of top starts in the Mountain States region for 2014, as Denver and Salt Lake City officials are working to meet the needs of a fast-growing population in both metro areas. Related Links: Denver's Cherry Creek North Booming CDOT Opens New I-70 Eastbound Tunnel Salt Lake International Airport's $1.5-billion Terminal Redevelopment Program topped the list. The TRP is building 4 million sq ft of new facilities at the airport, including a new terminal and concourse and a connecting parking deck. The project also will improve and rehabilitate other structures, roadways and overpasses. Construction

Water will begin running uphill—and north—along Colorado's southern Front Range next year when the $841-million Southern Delivery System goes on line. Related Links: SDS Pipeline Working Its Way West Ground Broken on SDS Water Project SDS is one of the largest water projects under construction in the Western U.S. and the biggest project undertaken by owner Colorado Springs Utilities in decades. The project will convey Arkansas River water stored in the Pueblo Reservoir to the cities of Colorado Springs, Fountain, Security and Pueblo West.Program manager MWH of Broomfield, Colo., has teamed up with Colorado Springs Utilities to build the multi-phased