Southeast’s Top Project Starts

This year’s ranking includes 20 projects with a collective contract value of about $5 billion—or less than half of last year’s Top Projects list.

Was 2007 the ultimate boom before the coming bust? The beginning of the end? And, with overall Southeast construction activity on an apparent decline so far in 2008, will next year’s list prove to be just a shadow of the rankings of the past few years?

Those were the questions we posed when publishing last year’s Top Projects ranking, which represented approximately $10.9 billion in collective project volume, well ahead of the preceding year’s volume of $6.9 billion.

Of course, Southeast Construction wasn’t the only one with those questions. They seemed to be the questions that were on everybody’s mind back then. Since then, of course, the downward slide of the private-sector construction markets has only been confirmed, and, unfortunately, too many contractors are struggling to just weather this economic storm.

This year’s ranking of Top Projects reflects the downturn. For instance, the collective value of projects included in this year’s list is $5 billion, or less than half of last year’s ranking.

That said, 2008—the year reflected in this Top Projects ranking—still saw significant projects move forward, with the public sector as the main driver. Of the 20 projects listed, 14 are public contracts.

The decline of the private sector is evident, too. On last year’s list, condominium and health-care projects made up 12 of the 36 Top Projects. This year, there are no condos ranked, and only three health-care projects. And while health-care starts should come back soon, it’s anybody’s guess when major condo projects will move forward again.

The Ranking The Top Projects report ranks, by construction contract value, the biggest projects to break ground during 2008 within Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina.

This year’s ranking includes 20 projects. Our initial sources included reports generated by the McGraw-Hill Construction Network, general contractors, owners, items previously reported in Southeast Construction and other sources.

Project costs listed here are the reported values of the construction contracts and are not intended to represent overall development costs.

If we could not verify a project’s contract value or other criteria, we did not include that project in our ranking. If you think we “missed” a project, feel free to inform us. We’re happy to receive the information for consideration of possible future editorial coverage. Readers can email me comments and other information at
scott_judy@mcgraw-hill.com.

Southeast's Top Projects:

The list below represents the largest projects to break ground during 2008 in the Southeast region of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina. To find out more about each project, click on the title for a detailed project description, key facts and an image of the project.

1. Cliffside Steam Station Modernization, $1.8 billion
2. Salt Waste Processing Facility, $617 million
3. South Cobb Tunnel, $305 million
4. Orlando Events Center, $280 million
5. The Peabody Orlando, $250 million
6. U.S. Southern Command Headquarters, $212.9 million
7. Interstate 95, Brevard County, Fla., $196.3 million
8. Hammond Road Detention Center, $139 million
9. North Terminal Development-MIA $125.6 million
10. 95 Express, $121.5 million
11. West Kendall Baptist Hospital, $120 million
12. Spirit AeroSystems, $112.5 million
13. Georgia Aquarium Expansion, $110 million
14. NCDOT U.S. Route 19, $107.8 million
15. ECUA Central Water Reclamation Facility, $102.8 million
16. Mount Pleasant Hospital and MOB, $93.2 million
17. York Comprehensive High School and Technology Center, $90 million
18. Malcom Randall VA Medical Center, $86 million
19. Miami Carol City Senior High School, Phase B & C, $79.4 million
20. Phipps Tower Office Building, $77 million