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.

“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%

Five outstanding developments — including the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco — have been selected as winners of the 2009 Urban Land Institute’s Global Awards for Excellence competition, widely recognized as the land use industry’s most prestigious recognition program. The award winners, representing the world’s best cross-regional models in land use practices, were announced last week in conjunction with the ULI fall meeting in San Francisco. Photo: California Academy of Sciences California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park The competition is part of the Institute’s Awards for Excellence program, established in 1979, which is based on ULI’s

Green building is here to stay. And despite the recession – and maybe even because of it – the construction industry is focused on improving sustainable design and building and continued innovation when it comes to being green.

Though housing development across San Francisco has slowed to a crawl during the recession, a plan to build a 196-unit mixed-use complex on the central waterfront is off the ground because of $1.7 million in federal stimulus funds. San Francisco, California Photo: Martin Building Co. Repurposed warehouses will abut newly constructed apartments. Related Links: Stimulus: A Snapshot of Top Shovel-, Wrench- and Pencil-Ready Projects Funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will cover the first phase of the Potrero Launch project, which involves soil testing prior to brownfield cleanup on a 1.25-acre site in a heavy industrial zone near

The Port of San Francisco and the city’s Dept. of Public Works has selected a design team consisting of Kaplan McLaughlin Diaz Architects, Pfau Long Architecture and cruise consultant Bermello Ajamil & Partners of Miami to submit a contract for approval for the conversion of Pier 27 into a new, modern cruise terminal. Port spokeswoman Renee Dunn Martin says this team beat out nine other firms that applied. It’s not a done-deal yet, she says, until the port and the DPW negotiate a fee proposal. A recommendation is due at the Port Commission’s next meeting on Oct. 27. A new