A popular northern Nevada commute between Reno and state capital Carson City recently improved thanks to the new Interstate-580 extension. However, construction of the $445-million project was no easy task. Related Links: Engineering News Record Architectural Record Previously, the old U.S. 395 south was the only option available, but the undivided, four-lane highway was susceptible to gridlock, high winds, flooding and head-on collisions. The new 8.5-mile, six-lane I-580 provides an alternate route from Mt. Rose Highway to the Bowers Mansion cutoff."The old highway 395 was the only all-weather route from South Lake Tahoe, Douglas County, Carson City and Lyon County
Populous, formerly known as HOK Sport, has been named architect-of-record for an eagerly anticipated new arena on the Las Vegas Strip. The 30-year-old Kansas City-based architectural firm, specializing in sports facilities and convention centers, has completed over 2,000 projects worldwide, including Coors Field in Denver, Houston’s Reliant Stadium, and United Center in Chicago. Image courtesy AEG. A rendering of the proposed MGM Resorts International and AEG indoor events venue between the New York-New York and Monte Carlo resorts along the Las Vegas Strip. MGM Resorts International and AEG are jointly developing a $350-million, 20,000-seat indoor events venue between the New
Burdened by a sluggish economic recovery, cash-strapped public and private owners are shifting greater risk onto contractors through onerous deal terms with non-traditional project responsibilities.Contractors, as a result, must be alert to new risks, resist them whenever possible and keep costs low to stay profitable.That was the consensus of presenters during the AGC/CFMA Construction Financial Management Conference, which took place Oct. 23-25 in Las Vegas.The financial consequences of the risk-shifting are hitting subcontractors first since “they are furthest from the cash flow,” says Teresa Martin, vice president of Lockton Cos. LLC, Kansas City. The subs borrow more as costs rise
Photo courtesy of Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers A 1031 like-kind exchange can save money by deferring taxable gains from depreciation bonuses. Photo courtesy of Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers Fleet owners face uncertainty in 2014 as bonus depreciation incentives expire and stringent diesel regulations take effect. Related Links: Rental Fleet Purchases May Contribute to Modest Gains Equipment Manufacturers Raise Their Annual Sales Forecast Expiring tax perks and strict new emission rules could soon make equipment purchases pricier, spurring more rental activity and dampening new machine sales. Internal Revenue Code (IRC) 179 gives deductions for equipment purchases, including trucks and trailers, dozers and loaders,
Related Links: McCarron Brothers Are at Center of Carpenters' Union Leadership Fight With Easy Reelection, Carpenters' McCarron Looks Ahead A public fight between carpenters' union President Douglas J. McCarron and his younger brother, Southwest regional council chief Mike McCarron, spilled into federal court in Los Angeles on Oct. 4.In the lawsuit, Mike McCarron claimed the international carpenters' union, Douglas McCarron and other union leaders improperly placed the six-state, 31-local council under emergency trusteeship.The trusteeship violates union and federal laws, the lawsuit claims, and was part of a "family feud" between the brothers precipitated by a fight over the $2-million estate
Photo by Luetta Callaway Lake Mead intake extension will connect to a newly finished, half-mile-long, $52-million stub tunnel. Southern Nevada Water Authority Expanded intake network is aimed at drawing more water at deeper levels from the shrinking lake. Drought-racked Las Vegas is undertaking an emergency project to keep water flowing as Lake Mead’s capacity dips below 40%.The Southern Nevada Water Authority has planned a $12-million extension to its 42-year-old raw-water Intake No. 1, which faces inoperability if the lake level falls 40 ft. Federal forecasters expect that to occur by May 2015 or sooner because of an abnormally dry winter.Lake
Two upcoming hot tickets in Las Vegas both will feature the Harmon Hotel—once the planned showstopper of the huge CityCenter development, but now unfinished and unopened. Image: ENR The abandoned Harmon Hotel in Las Vegas, Nev. Related Links: Court Drama Over Harmon Hotel Defects to Continue into 2014 MGM Aims To Bulldoze Unfinished Harmon Tower in Vegas The $279-million hotel soon faces court-approved demolition and also is the subject of a construction-defect trial set for next February that pits co-owner MGM Resorts International against general contractor Tutor Perini Building Corp. Both events will be closely watched.Still unclear, however, is what
image by Bill Hughes Harmon Hotel's owner has yet to say what will replace the soon-to-be-demolished structure as a building-defects trial looms in early 2014. Related Links: Dueling Las Vegas Hotel Engineering Reports Cloud Conflict Between Perini and MGM Report Finds Las Vegas Hotel Could Potentially Collapse in a Code-Level Earthquake Two upcoming hot tickets in Las Vegas both will feature the Harmon Hotel—once the planned showstopper of the huge CityCenter development, but now unfinished and never opened.The $279-million hotel soon faces court-approved demolition and also is the subject of a construction-defect trial set for next February that pits co-owner
Photo by Tony Illia/ENR Dispute pits the national president of the 500,000-member carpenters' union against his regional-chief brother. Related Links: United Brotherhood of Carpenters 14(d) Charges against Mike McCarron (7/2/2013) Emergency Supervision Order of Southwest Regional Council of Carpenters (7/19/2013) Carpenters' Union Trial Procedures Dec. 4, 2012 ruling: UBC (Carpenters' union) v. Building & Construction Trades Dept., Case No. 12-CV-0109 Feb. 21, 2012 Lawsuit: UBC (Carpenters' union) v. Building & Construction Trades Dept., Case No. 12-CV-0109 A messy public feud between carpenters' union General President Douglas J. McCarron and his brother, Southwest regional council chief Mike McCarron, that resulted in
A lingering drought and population boom in North Texas have prompted the Wylie-based North Texas Municipal Water District to undertake water-use restrictions while embarking on a $300-million project to build a 48-mile pipeline from Lake Texoma to the 300-million-gallon-per-day Wylie raw water treatment plant, bypassing Sister Grove Creek, a natural tributary of Lavon Lake. The closed pipeline also will prevent any invasive species, including freshwater zebra mussels, from being released into the environment while restoring a major portion of the region's lost water supply. Related Links: North Texas Municipal Water District McCarthy Building Cos President Barack Obama signed House Resolution