On March 15, the Oak Park, Ill., Village Board of Trustees formally approved the agreement that will enable Sertus Capital Partners LLC of Chicago to move forward on plans to build a new $85-million hotel/retail/condo/parking building in the heart of this Chicago suburb. Rendering courtesy of Village of Oak Park, Ill. Bird's Eye View Looking Southwest The 20-story glass tower at the corner of Lake Street and Forest Avenue would be the tallest building in Oak Park. Monday�s agreement gives the developers about four months to demolish the building it owns at the location, 18 months to begin construction and
Milwaukee is spending $100 million on a metropolitan flood-control project, hoping to avoid future flood damages that have cost that much since 1997. The centerpiece of the plan is a 17-ft-diameter, half-mile-long tunnel that will drain up to 3,405 cu ft per second of water from a flood-prone creek into a 315-million-gallon detention basin. Slide Show Photo: Mike Larson Tunnel diameter is more than 17 ft, designed to quickly channel stormwater to detention basin. When heavy rain causes nearby Underwood Creek to overflow, the new tunnel will drain the excess water to a 65-acre engineered detention basin that will slowly
The Michigan Dept. of Transportation will find out on March 17 how many developers, investors, lenders, design-build contractors and operators are interested in building a new $2.26-billion international bridge linking Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, Canada. That’s the final day for interested private-sector companies and teams to respond to a request for proposal of interest (RFPOI) sent out in late January. + Image Map: MDOT Proposed new crossing would provide an alternative to the Ambassador Bridge + Image Image: MDOT Contractors will be asked to choose between cable-stayed or suspension designs. MDOT will use the non-binding responses in its May 1
By most accounts, 2010 looks to be another rugged year for much of the construction industry, though things may improve a little near year’s end. In what promises to be a difficult business climate overall, higher-education construction seems to be a relative bright spot. Photo: Loebl Schlossman & Hackl The College of DuPage, Glen Ellyn, Ill., is in the midst of $84 million of renovation and construction for an instructional building and student resource center. The project, scheduled for completion in 2012, will renovate and construct 600,000 sq ft, along with the related storm and sanitary sewers. That’s not to
When it arrives from Europe in July, the first high-reach work platform to join Abilene High Lift Aerial’s fleet will be the tallest of its kind in North America. Photo: Abilene High Lift Aerial Texas rental company is importing what will soon become the tallest aerial lift in North America, reaching up to 328 ft. The Abilene, Texas-based company plans to rent the giant lifting device to utility operators, wind-turbine technicians, tall-building contractors, moviemakers and anyone else who needs to go as high as 328 ft above ground with up to 1,100 lb of equipment and workers. The “staggering capability”
When it arrives from Europe in July, the first high-reach work platform to join Abilene High Lift Aerial’s fleet will be the tallest of its kind in North America. The Abilene, Texas-based company plans to rent the giant lifting device to utility operators, wind-turbine technicians, tall-building contractors, moviemakers and anyone else who needs to go as high as 328 ft above ground with up to 1,100 lb of equipment and workers. Photo: Abilene High Lift Aerial Texas rental company is importing what will soon become the tallest aerial lift in North America, reaching up to 328 ft. The “staggering capability”
Engineers are finalizing design for a 17-mile-long pipeline that will deliver methane gas from a landfill in Muskego, Wis., to fuel a wastewater treatment plant in Milwaukee. The pipeline is the first step in an $80-million investment that will save the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) at least $148 million over the next 20 years by enabling its Jones Island plant to generate its own heat and electricity by burning landfill-generated methane instead of natural gas. In addition to saving money, the plant will also cut greenhouse-gas emissions by 500,000 tons a year. MMSD tentatively plans to seek bids from
Engineers are finalizing design for a 17-mile-long pipeline that will deliver methane gas from a landfill in Muskego, Wis., to fuel a wastewater treatment plant in Milwaukee. The pipeline is the first step in an $80-million investment that will save the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) at least $148 million over the next 20 years by enabling its Jones Island plant to generate its own heat and electricity by burning landfill-generated methane instead of natural gas. In addition to saving money, the plant will also cut greenhouse gas emissions by 500,000 tons a year. MMSD tentatively plans to seek bids
A project under way to build a $250-million renewable-fuel plant in Park Falls, Wis., will eventually draw on about 1,000 tons of forestry waste daily and convert it into sulfur-free diesel. Chart: Flambeau River Biofuels Patented process turns forestry waste into diesel fuel and other renewable products. “We will take bark, sawdust, wood chips and forest residue that wouldn’t be used for anything else and turn it into biofuel, wax, green electrical power, steam and heat that are useful,” says Bob Byrne, president of Flambeau River Biofuels. The contractor expects to begin late this year, and the plant is expected
Industry indicators show that the construction industry’s decline has slowed and many industry experts expect the upturn to start sometime in 2010. Although many factors can affect the recovery, nearly every expert we interviewed thinks the industry faces a long slow climb back to prosperity. The outlook for 2010 in the Midwestern construction industry calls for a bottoming out early in the year, followed by slow growth through year’s end. Although 2010 will represent a slight improvement over 2009, it will not be anywhere near as good as 2008, and industry experts seem to agree that the recovery will be