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

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

Enlarge Click image to enlarge. Related Links: VA Averts New Shutdown of Aurora Hospital Project Aurora VA Hospital Project Costs Soar to $1.73B The Dept. of Veterans Affairs remains the target of congressional ire after a recent announcement that a VA replacement hospital in Aurora, Colo., will cost $1.73 billion to build. That's more than five times the project's initial estimate of $328 million and double the $880-million cap set by Congress. The VA broke the news to congressional leaders in a March 17 phone call."The number took my breath away," said U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D-Colo.)."It's sticker shock," said

Costs for the Dept. of Veterans Affairs replacement hospital in Aurora, Colo., have ballooned to $1.73 billion, more than five times the project’s original cost and twice the spending cap set for it by Congress. VA Deputy Secretary Sloan Gibson delivered the bad news about revised cost estimates to congressional leaders in March 17 phone call. The new price tag, up sharply up from the $800 million claimed by the VA in early March, comes from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which is advising VA on the project. USACE will assume full management of the project this summer. The

Courtesy of Dept. of Veterans Affairs Work will continue on the Aurora VA Hospital after $43.3 million in stopgap funds were funneled to the project in mid-March. Related Links: Senate, House VA commmitees' release with March 10 letter on Colorado project VA May Cede Lead Role in Hospital Construction Program (ENR 2/2/2015 issue) [subscription] A looming end-of-March shutdown of the nearly $900-million Dept. of Veterans Affairs hospital construction project in Aurora, Colo., has been avoided—for now. VA officials have agreed to “reprogram” an additional $43.3 million to keep the project going through the end of May. That amount is on

Phillip A. Washington, general manager of Denver’s Regional Transportation District since 2009, will leave the agency to become CEO of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which oversees the third-largest public transit system in the U.S. Courtesy of RTD Phil Washington, RTD General Manager Washington, a 2014 ENR Newsmaker (ENR, 1/27/14), garnered national attention for managing RTD’s $5.3-billion FasTracks transit construction program, which is building 122 miles of new commuter rail lines and dozens of stations across the Denver metro area.He led the launch of the agency’s first public-private partnership, the $2.2-billion Eagle P3 project, which is building a

RTD Former Denver transit manager now will run third-largest US system. Related Links: ENR Newsmaker citiation: Reaching Higher, Reaching Out on FasTracks Program Former MTA chief expected to be named head of Metrolink commuter rail Phillip A. Washington, general manager of Denver’s Regional Transportation District since 2009, will leave the agency to become CEO of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which oversees the third-largest public transit system in the U.S., the L.A. agency said March 12. Washington has garnered national attention for taking over in 2009 what had been the district’s originally troubled $5.3-billion FasTracks transit construction program,

Photo Courtesy of Kiewit Turner VA aims to finish the Aurora project in 2017, four years later than original date. Related Links: Searching for a Better Way to Build Big Veterans' Hospitals (ENR 12/29/2014 issue) [subscription] Federal Ruling Halts Construction of Massive VA Hospital Near Denver It has been nearly 60 years since the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers last worked on constructing a major veterans' hospital, but the agency may be coming back to that line of work.For months, the Dept. of Veterans Affairs has been hit by strong Capitol Hill criticism for poor management of big hospital projects.