Duke Energy�s $2.88 billion coal degasification power plant under construction on 100 acres in Edwardsport, Ind., is a colossal endeavor with an endless number of firsts. Numerous changes during the detail design phase led to significant increases in material quantities. As many as 460 Bechtel engineers were involved during the peak of design. Spotlight on PowerDuke�s Advanced Coal Plant Reaches $2.88 Billion. Related Links: FutureGen Awaits OK Perfect Power System Proves Worth The unprecedented nature of the project has forced Duke to increase its original cost estimate by 48 percent for the 618-MW Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) plant. The

Despite a depressed U.S. construction market in 2009, Walsh Construction Co. of Chicago managed to generate $1.3 billion in regional revenue and more than $3.3 billion nationwide. For the second straight year, it repeated as the top contractor in Midwest Construction’s ranking of regional contractors and repeated as the 17th largest U.S. contractor in Engineering News-Record’s rankings. ENR and Midwest Construction are both published by McGraw-Hill. History of Growth and Family Ownership Founded in 1898 in Chicago by Matthew Myles Walsh, an Irish immigrant, Walsh Construction has grown into the Midwest’s largest general contractor. Now headed by the founder’s grandsons—CEO

The second season of construction for the largest transportation project in Wisconsin history is now in full swing as Chicago’s Walsh Construction Co. and its subcontractors replace pavement, bridges, interchanges, frontage roads and storm sewers on sections of Interstate 94 in the southeastern corner of the state. The $1.9-billion reconstruction project will expand Wisconsin’s Interstate 94 from six to eight lanes by adding one lane in each direction. The project is also improving safety by separating frontage roads from highway on- and off-ramps. Contractors begin base preparation for the new lanes on Interstate 94. The new pavement starts with a

To find out what trends are at work in the office-construction market, Midwest Construction talked to a leading developer, two noted architects and three major general contractors. Companies are creating positive working spaces that reflect their cultures and brands. Above, an HOK-designed project provides an example of branding, where a company builds a space that sends a certain message to its employees and visitors. A growing trend for owners is to put office space in mixed-use buildings that also house retail, hotel, condominium, parking and entertainment space, such as in the recently completed Aqua Building in Chicago. Here’s what they

After opening the initial round of bids from three prominent area contractors on Feb. 11 for reconstruction of the Wacker Drive/Congress Parkway Interchange, the City of Chicago disqualified two, then rejected the third for being too expensive. About $2.6 billion in federal stimulus money will be provided to the Upper Midwest for Second Take work. The Chicago-St. Louis line is scheduled to receive $1.1 billion, the most of any Midwest route. Related Links: High-Speed Rail In High Gear The lowest bid, at $73 million, came from a joint venture of F.H Paschen and Cabo Construction Corp. That bid was rejected

One of Chicago’s hottest new boutique hotels is also proving to be high on the energy-efficiency list. TheWit’s low energy consumption comes from a combination of several carefully designed efficiency features.The electric bill for the 27-story, 298-room hotel has run only about $7,000 per month. One example of the building’s efficiency is its extensive use of LED lighting, which draws less current per unit of illumination than incandescent lighting and generates less heat. The building also uses some incandescent and other types of lights where they are the best choice. Since opening in July, theWit, located on State Street in

Federal stimulus money will be the financial engine driving about $2.6 billion of high-speed rail work in the Upper Midwest during 2010. About $2.6 billion in federal stimulus money will be provided to the Upper Midwest for high-speed rail work. The Chicago-St. Louis line is scheduled to receive $1.1 billion, the most of any Midwest route. The region’s key routes include Chicago-St. Louis-Kansas City; Chicago-Detroit; Chicago-Milwaukee-Madison (and in the future Minneapolis-St. Paul); and Cleveland-Columbus-Dayton-Cincinnati. Related Links: In High Gear Second Take The federal government announced in late January that it would award $8 billion nationwide this year to projects that

Hanging more than 200 ft over a jobsite in downtown Kansas City, Mo., James Hague doesn’t seem to notice the tiny people and equipment below his feet. Instead of using paper checklists, J.E. Dunn inspectors enter their findings in a mobile smart phone that instantly sends their reports to the company’s data server, where managers can access them over the Internet. The senior technician intently works a dial gauge that measures the play in a crane’s turntable—the giant platform that rotates the jib. “A bearing could go bad,” says Hague, suspended from a full-body harness. “And that’s something we want

Although 2009 was grim overall for the construction industry, not all numbers were negative. Several niche project categories saw significant increases in the four metropolitan statistical areas within Midwest Construction’s coverage: Milwaukee, St. Louis, Indianapolis and Chicago. Photo: Rendering courtesy of Opus North Marquette University, Milwaukee, plans to break ground for a $35-million, 100,000-sq-ft, five-story building for its engineering school this spring. A second, 155,000-sq-ft, $65-million building is planned for the future to complete the new engineering facility. According to research compiled by McGraw-Hill Construction Analytics (which, like Midwest Construction, is part of the McGraw-Hill Cos.), the category faring the