Who and what will you be watching across the industry this year? In this, the first 2014 issue of ENR Mountain States, we are launching a new feature called "Things to Watch." The use of the generic word "thing" is intentional because we are not limiting our choices to projects or companies or people—although those certainly will be included. We will also highlight trends, issues, industry milestones and even some cautionary tales. Related Links: CDOT Opens New I-70 Eastbound Twin Tunnel AIA Colorado Presents Young Architects Awards We're looking across the industry to see who is making an impact—an above-and-beyond

Related Links: Denver International Airport Launches South Terminal Redevelopment Program City of Denver Selected as ENR Mountain States' Owner of the Year Denver International Airport is suing the city's Regional Transportation District to recover $53 million in costs for contracted work on the airport's Hotel and Transit Center Project, still under construction. Airport officials filed the lawsuit after a mediator refused to grant DIA the full amount from RTD. The money would be used to pay for site excavation, roadways, train-platform construction and other infrastructure work at the airport terminal. Both agencies say the other one should pay for the

Related Links: Up Front: Industry Buzz August 2013 Lack of timely project decision-making can amount to big costs later, says Robert Prieto, senior vice president of Fluor Corp., in a new analysis for PM World Journal. While project delays and the resulting cost impacts are generally linked to changed scope, rework or productivity loss, "the cost of a lack of timely decision-making is seldom reflected in project governance processes," says Prieto.He says that for a contractor, delays are even more "deleterious" when they are of longer duration and at a later stage in the project. "A $4-billion project, not uncommon in

After weeks of harrowing rockfall work, one lane of U.S. 550 in southwestern Colorado is open to traffic on a limited basis. A massive rockslide closed the remote highway on Jan. 13. The rugged, two-lane road, also known as the Million Dollar Highway, winds over 11,018-ft-high Red Mountain Pass between the small towns of Silverton and Ouray. Related Links: Rigging for Rescue Blog About Ruby Walls Rockslide CDOT Video of the Ruby Walls Rockslide Mitigation The closure came when a section of rock the size of a football field sheared away from a towering cliff known as the Ruby Walls

photo by ap wideworld leaves of grass Legalized use of marijuana in states presents new safety and human-resource challenges for the construction industry. Related Links: Inspection of Marijuana Farms in California Moves Out of the Weeds Philadelphia Building Collapse Leads to Murder Charges High Times: Legalized Marijuana and Drug Testing for Contractors (Electrical Construction & Maintenance) Contractor employees in Colorado and Washington hoping to follow the old adage "Smoke 'em if you've got 'em" and fire up a now-legal joint should know that puts their jobs at risk, even if they do it away from work and on their own

Replacing the Pecos Street Bridge over Interstate 70 in central Denver this year encompassed several firsts for the project owner—the Colorado Dept. of Transportation—the project team and the industrial neighborhoods on either side of the interstate that depend heavily upon the busy interchange. Related Links: CDOT Completes Pecos Bridge Replacement in One Weekend I-15 CORE Project The project began "as just a standard bridge replacement," says Tamara Hunter-Maurer, the design and construction engineer for CDOT. The 1965 bridge had outlived its functional life and needed to go, but replacing it would be difficult because the interchange is just west of

Despite a series of recent reports that the U.S. economy finally seems to be on firm ground and trending upward, the 2014 outlook for the construction sector remains mixed and riddled with questions. Related Links: Slow, Steady Job Growth Forecast for Colorado in 2012 2013 Will Finish Strong, Simonson Says An early December report from the U.S. Labor Dept. showed that the nation's gross domestic product rose 3.6% in the third quarter, unemployment dropped to 7%—the lowest point in five years—and the country created 203,000 jobs in November. The growth in GDP was well above the 2.8% increase that had

U.S. Engineering Co. has emerged as a regional and national leader in the efficient offsite prefabrication of mechanical components and in the multi-trade collaboration needed to assemble them. Related Links: St. Joseph Hospital Will Have Big Economic Impact 2013 AGC/C ACE Awards Winners The Colorado offices of the mechanical contractor have recently tackled some of the state's largest and most complex health care projects. Those include a $47.6-million contract working with general contractor Haselden Construction at the University of Colorado Hospital (UCH) New Inpatient Tower and Critical Care Wing Expansion in Aurora, Colo., and a $76.8-million contract to provide mechanical

After experiencing two solid years of recovery in 2012 and 2013, the region's specialty contracting sector is anticipating slower growth, but not a pullback, in 2014. Many of the old issues remain: stiff competition for jobs, lower-than-desirable margins and slow pay practices from some owners. Add to that new concerns about labor shortages for skilled workers, more regulation and uncertainty surrounding the impact of the Affordable Care Act. But then the good news: More work is available, materials prices have stabilized and most firms have solid recovery plans. Photo courtesy of Cache Valley Electric Cache Valley Electric did the electrical,

Charles Keyes, a structural engineer with Martin/Martin Inc., is the 2013 recipient of the ENR Mountain States Legacy Award, given to an individual who has contributed significantly to the regional architecture-engineering-construction sector and the community. Photo courtesy of Martin/Martin Inc. Chuck Keyes stands on the construction site of Denver's Currigan Hall in 1967, where he led the structural engineering design for its patented space-frame system. Related Links: AIA Colorado Honors 2011 Award Winners ACEC Scholarships Keyes, 72, is beginning a "phased retirement" after 45 years at the Lakewood, Colo., firm and its predecessors. He is best known for his structural