The recession has enabled the California Dept. of Transportation to save approximately $2.4 billion in construction costs for major projects since 2006 due to strong competition. Some bids are coming in at 40% below engineers’ estimates, says Kris Kuhl, supervising transportation engineer and official chief for contract awards and services at Caltrans. Overall, Kuhl says that so far this fiscal year, project bids are averaging 33.8% under estimates. The savings, obviously, means that Caltrans can push for more transportation construction starts, Kuhl adds. “Depending on the nature of the work, we also are seeing a record number of bidders,” he

If the recent sixth-annual Safety Expo: Statewide Safety Training & Construction Management event proved one thing, it’s that construction industry representatives in California crave information. Various classes and demonstrations at the Expo focused on scaffold awareness, safety and new products. As they say during tough times, the better prepared employees and firms will reap benefits down the line. The 140 sessions presented at this expo ranged from forklift certification classes to basic CPR training and from a nine-part series of new green building workshops to Cal/OSHA updates. Presented by the Construction Industry Education Foundation (CIEF) in partnership with the Sacramento

Mayor Gavin Newsom joined the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency and numerous elected and community leaders to ceremoniously break ground on the Central Subway project, which is Phase 2 of the Third Street Light Rail project. The Moscone Center station is one of three underground stations on the Central Subway route. A construction approach called �deep tunneling� will be used to construct the Central Subway. Deep tunneling allows most of the work to be done below ground, reducing disruption on the surface. The tunneling will be accomplished with a tunnel boring machine, like those above. When service begins in 2018,

California’s Air Resources Board downshifted this month by offering contractors “relief.” The regulatory board says it will delay enforcement of its emissions regulations—which were set to go into effect on March 1—for existing off-road diesel machinery until it receives a waiver from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Construction lobbyists say the move is counterproductive to their recommendation to fully delay the rules for two more years. “CARB’s offer to not enforce the off-road regulation—a rule that it cannot fully enforce without a waiver from the federal EPA—as ‘relief’ is disingenuous at best,” says Mike Lewis, senior vice president of the

Funding will be the key to one of the largest dam removal projects in California history. State government officials and the California American Water Co. agreed on Jan. 11 to remove the 106-ft-tall San Clemente Dam on the Carmel River in Monterey County. The concrete arch dam, built in 1921, once provided drinking water to Monterey Peninsula residents, but its reservoir has since silted up 90%. In 1991, state dam inspectors also concluded the dam risked failure in a significant earthquake or flood event, which could release an estimated 2.5 million cu yds of sediment and more than 40 million

While Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger was emphasizing job creation in his final State of the State address this week, his appointed stimulus Inspector General Laura Chick was criticizing a two-month backlog for projects needing an okay from the Office of Historic Preservation. The governor says he wants to foster a business-friendly economy and create jobs via his proposed California Jobs Initiative, which will create or retain up to 100,000 jobs and provide training to 140,000 people to enable them to keep their current positions or compete for higher paying jobs. In his speech, he says he also wants to propose a

The BART Board of Directors recently gave the go-ahead for a train-to-plane connection project between the Coliseum BART Station and the Oakland Airport. Photo: Courtesy of BART BART-Oakland Airport People Mover Project Gets Go-Ahead The board also voted seven to one to award Flatiron/Parsons Joint Venture the contract to design and build the 3.2-mi automated people mover. The board also voted seven to one to award Doppelmayr Cable Car Inc. the contract to operate and maintain the connector once built. “Oakland International congratulates BART and the many other agencies involved in awarding contracts for construction of the long-awaited Oakland Airport

Following the Associated General Contractors report presented to the California Air Resources Board last week, the board, in response, announced an informal grace period for fleets that have not yet reported their off-road vehicles. The AGC of California says that fleets that self-report will not face enforcement action if they report all of their vehicles prior to Jan. 1, 2010 (for large and medium fleets) and March 1, 2010 (for small fleets). The CARB says that the off-road regulation required reporting of all off-road diesel vehicles by Aug. 1, 2009. It says that although the deadlines for all fleets are past,

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

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. Photo: Caltrans “We would like to thank motorists in advance for their patience during the upcoming lane closures,” says Caltrans Director Randell Iwasaki. “This is the right fix and a long-term one that should keep the 73-year old