Gregs G. Thomopulos, P.E., Chairman & CEO of Stanley Consultants of Houston, was elected president of the International Federation of Consulting Engineers for a two-year term. FIDIC represents globally the consulting engineering industry. Thomopulos has been on the organization’s executive committee for six years. His election marks the first time in 20 years that a U.S. citizen holds the position, which only three other Americans have held in FIDIC’s nearly 100-year history. Dynamic Lighting Solutions in Pearland announced Robert C. Horswood joined the company as utility sales representative, Eastern Division. He graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor’s
Photo: Caltrans Caltrans Begins Long-Term Repairs to Bay Bridge Eyebar Caltrans has begun a long-term repair of the failed eyebar on the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge that was discovered during the Labor Day closure. According to Caltrans spokesman Bart Ney, work on the eyebar will not require a full bridge closure; instead, crews will work overnight, which will require three lanes to close on the upper deck and one lane on the lower deck. The repair and related lane closures will last approximately three weeks, with an additional five weeks possibly needed at a later date. “We would like to
AGC recently held its annual Fall Conference and Division and State Boards of Directors Meetings in Indian Wells. The meetings and conference drew many of the state’s top construction industry leaders, who elected the association’s leadership for 2010 and focused on the future goals and direction of AGC. Photo: Carol Eaton, AGC of California Top leadership of the AGC of California for 2010, elected by the State Board of Directors on Oct. 29 in Indian Wells, include, from left, Treasurer Randy Douglas, Tierra Contracting, Inc., Goleta; Vice President John Nunan, Unger Construction Co., Sacramento; President Bob Christenson, Panattoni Construction, Inc.,
Tutor Perini Corp. reports that Caltrans has informed the firm that it has been awarded a $215-million contract for construction of the fourth bore tunnel at the Caldecott Tunnel section of Highway 24 in Alameda and Contra Costa counties near Oakland. Photo: Caltrans Caltrans awarded the contract to Tutor-Saliba Corp., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tutor Perini Corp. The tunnel will be approximately 990 meters long and will add two additional lanes of traffic in the westbound direction and is designed to alleviate traffic congestion along the Route 24 corridor. Construction is anticipated to start in January and will take approximately
The ULI Terwilliger Center for Workforce Housing has selected Casa del Maestro in Santa Clara, The Kalahari, Miller Ranch, and South City Lights as winners of this year’s Jack Kemp Workforce Housing Models of Excellence Awards.
Caltrans Director Randy Iwasaki, speaking to an asphalt pavement industry conference, gave a frank assessment of “strained” transportation funding, the importance of the Caltrans-construction industry partnership and green initiatives. Photo: California Asphalt Pavement Association Among those attending the Nov. 12 CalAPA California Asphalt Pavement Forum were, from left: CalAPA Executive Director Russell Snyder, Tony Limas with Granite Construction, Jack Van Kirk with George Reed Inc., Caltrans Director Randy Iwasaki, Jeff Reed with George Reed Inc., and Skip Brown with Delta Construction and Asphalt Consulting Services, LLC. Related Links: Link here Iwasaki, who took over the top job at the state
“Bay Area Burden,” a new report released last week by the Urban Land Institute Terwilliger Center for Workforce Housing, finds that the average Bay Area household spends more than $41,000 a year — nearly 60% of their income — on transportation and housing costs alone. Photo: Bay Area Toll Authority These costs vary among the nine Bay Area counties examined, ranging from 54% in Santa Clara to 66% in Sonoma. But the study finds that one-fourth of all households in the Bay Area live in neighborhoods where housing and transportation costs account for 65% or more of income — a
Federal, state and local elected officials, along with Metro executives and community leaders, gathered recently at the new Metro East Los Angeles Civic Center Station for the official dedication ceremony of the Edward R. Roybal Metro Gold Line Eastside Extension. Photo: Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority The Gold Line Eastside Extension in Los Angeles, a major Balfour Beatty Rail, Inc. project, marked the beginning of its light rail service with a grand opening ceremony on Saturday, Nov. 15. Balfour Beatty Rail started work in 2004 on the Eastside extension in a joint venture with electrical contractor Steiny and Co.
San Francisco celebrated the grand opening last week of Mission Walk, the first below-market-rate, for-sale homes in the new Mission Bay neighborhood. Photo: BRIDGE Housing Mission Walk is a development by Berry Street LLC (an affiliate of BRIDGE Housing Corp.) and the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency. Mission Walk provides 131 for-sale condominiums and townhomes (25 one bedrooms, 82 two bedrooms and 24 three bedrooms) in two five-story buildings; each building features an on-grade parking garage and landscaped courtyard. The development was designed to achieve LEED certification. Financing for Mission Walk was provided by the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency; Wells Fargo
While the $27 billion dedicated to highway construction in the $775 billion stimulus package likely saved thousands of construction-related jobs, it was not enough to prevent widespread lay-offs among road and transit construction businesses, according to a nationwide survey released last week. And while stimulus fund will continue supporting transportation projects next year, 44% of contractors anticipate having to lay off additional permanent employees due to overall economic conditions, the survey found. Nearly 70% of transportation contractors responding to a survey conducted by the Washington, D.C.-based Transportation Construction Coalition reported receiving stimulus-funded contracts work so far this year. But 63%
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