Contractors Receive Notice to Proceed on $446-Million N.C. Toll Road Project

Raleigh-Durham Roadbuilders, a joint venture of Archer Western Contractors of Atlanta and Granite Construction Co. of Watsonville, Calif., recently received the Notice to Proceed by the North Carolina Turnpike Authority for its $446-million Western Wake Freeway contract, a section of the $1-billion Triangle Expressway. The lead designer on the project is The LPA Group of Raleigh, N.C.

Financing for the project will be provided by a combination of toll revenue bonds, state appropriation bonds and a federal Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act loan.

Scope of the the 12.6-mi Western Wake Freeway project includes the construction of 34 bridges, noise and retaining walls, and improvements to various streets along the project route.

Construction begins this fall, with the project expected to be open to traffic by the end of 2012, and fully completed in 2013.

Western Wake Freeway connects with Northern Wake Expressway and will extend from a northern junction with NC 55 near Research Triangle Park to a southern junction with NC 55 Bypass near Holly Springs, covering a distance of 12.6 miles.
Also included as part of the 18.8-mi Triangle Expressway is the Triangle Parkway. This portion will extend from NC 147 at Interstate 40 south for approximately 3.4 miles, terminating at the interchange with the Outer Wake Expressway.

The Northern Wake Expressway (NC 540) is the portion of the Outer Wake Expressway that extends from NC 54 to NC 55. This 2.8-mi-long segment, which recently opened to traffic and was constructed by the North Carolina Dept. of Transportation, is being transferred to NCTA in support of the TriEx project. This section will enable Triangle Parkway and Western Wake Freeway to function as a contiguous toll facility.

In July, Nonbuilding Surged in N.C., but No Bright Spots for S.C.

Compared to the same period of a year ago, the value of new contracts signed in July for future construction fell by 21% overall in North Carolina, and by 40% in South Carolina, according to the latest information from McGraw-Hill Construction, publisher of Southeast Construction. For the month, only North Carolina’s nonbuilding market showed any growth.

In North Carolina, the overall total for new project starts was roughly $1.25 billion, down from last July’s total of nearly $1.6 billion. The residential sector declined again, falling 27% compared to last July to total $563.8 million for the month. The nonresidential sector was also negative, dropping 47% for a $298.9-million tally. The nonbuilding sector – which includes infrastructure projects – increased again, this time by 54%, to total $389.8 million for the month.

For the year-to-date, North Carolina’s overall contract activity is 41% behind 2008’s pace. The nonbuilding sector remains the furthest behind, with its $1.3-billion total an estimated 52% behind last year’s pace. Residential is now 48% behind for the year, with $3.2 billion in new contracts through July. The nonresidential category is 23% behind ’08, with approximately $3.1 billion in new contracts so far.

In South Carolina, July’s 40% decline resulted in a monthly total of nearly $733.8 million.

The residential sector continued its slide, falling 22% in July compared to the same period of a year ago, for a total of roughly $316.3 million. The nonresidential sector fell 58%, to tally $246.7 million. The value of contracts in the nonbuilding sector declined by 23% compared to a year ago to total $170.7 million.

For the year-to-date, South Carolina’s overall contract activity is 47% behind last year’s pace, with nearly $3.8 billion in new contracts for the first seven months of the year. The nonresidential category is 41% behind 2008, with roughly $1.3 billion in new contracts. The residential sector is 45% behind ‘08’s pace, with a $1.8-billion total. Nonbuilding is down 60%, with a $615.3-million tally.

Santee Cooper Nixes Plans for Proposed $2.2-billion Pee Dee Energy Campus

The Santee Cooper board of directors in Moncks Corner, S.C., announced its decision to suspend efforts to build the proposed Pee Dee Energy Campus, an estimated $2.2-billion coal power plant in Florence County, S.C.

The state-owned utility cited reduced overall demand for electricity and proposed federal government regulations that would increase the operating costs of coal-fired power plants as reasons for scuttling the project.

Santee Cooper’s sales are down 5% from last year. The utility’s president and CEO Lonnie Carter stated in a news release: “The recession’s impact on our industrial customers has been significant. In addition, we anticipate that as the economy recovers from this economic downturn, long-term power needs will be lower.”

Carter cited too the proposed federal government regulations, specifically the cap-and-trade legislation.

“The bill calls for carbon capture and sequestration technology to be placed on new plants by 2025, and there currently exists no technology to do that,” he stated. “The cost of the technology and the carbon tax are unknown and expected to be high, and this uncertainty causes great concern for Santee Cooper in considering future coal plants.”

Additionally, the utility’s largest customer, the Central Electric Power Cooperative, intends to reduce its power load from Santee Cooper and acquire that power from another supplier.

“Reducing Central’s power load requirement from Santee Cooper obviously affects the need for the 600-megawatt Pee Dee Energy Campus,” Carter stated.

Turner Wins $120-Million Contract for Harrah’s Cherokee Hotel

Turner Construction Co. announced it has been awarded a $120-million contract to manage the construction of Harrah’s Cherokee Hotel Tower III in Cherokee, N.C. The completion of the tower is scheduled for December 2010.

This project is a 21-story, 532-room, 500,000-sq-ft hotel tower that will include 68 suites, 454 guest rooms and a skybridge connecting the facility to the two existing hotel towers.

June Contracts: Bright Spots Emerge for Both N.C., S.C.

Compared to the same period of a year ago, the value of new contracts signed in June  for future construction fell by just 6% overall in North Carolina, and by 25% in South Carolina, according to the latest information from McGraw-Hill Construction, publisher of Southeast Construction. However, in each case, there were positive numbers in certain sectors.

In North Carolina, the overall total for new project starts was roughly $1.4 billion, down from last June’s total of more than $1.5 billion. Despite the overall downturn, two of the three construction categories measured by McGraw-Hill Construction showed double-digit percentage point increases compared to a year ago.

The residential sector continued to decline, dropping 33% compared to last June to total $523.3 million for the month. The nonbuilding sector – which includes infrastructure projects – increased by 33%, and totaled $251.7 million for the month. Nonresidential was the other positive sector, experiencing a 17% uptick in June for a $674.6-million tally.

For the year-to-date, North Carolina’s overall contract activity is 44% behind 2008’s pace. The nonbuilding sector remains the furthest behind, with its $875.9-million total an estimated 63% behind last year’s pace. Residential is now 51% behind for the year, with nearly $2.7 billion in new contracts through June. The nonresidential category is 18% behind ’08, with approximately $2.8 billion in new contracts so far.

In South Carolina, June contracts fell by an overall rate of 25%. The state’s total was $697.8 million, down from the year-ago total of slightly more than $924.5 million.

The residential sector continued its slide, falling 30% in June compared to the same period of a year ago, for a total of roughly $306.5 million. The nonresidential sector fell by 30%, too, to tally $262.7 million for the month. The value of contracts in the nonbuilding sector increased by 16% compared to a year ago and totaled $128.6 million.

For the year-to-date, South Carolina’s overall contract activity is 50% behind last year’s pace, with nearly $3 billion in new contracts for the first half of the year. The nonresidential category is 38% behind 2008, with roughly $1 billion in new contracts. The residential sector is 49% behind ‘08’s pace, with a nearly $1.5-billion total. The nonbuilding sector is 66% behind last year, with a $445.7-million tally.

Uniboard’s $160-Million N.C. Plant on Schedule for Q4 Startup

Uniboard, a manufacturer of engineered wood products based in Laval, Quebec, Canada, reported that the construction of its new Medium Density Fiberboard and High Density Fiberboard plant in Moncure, N.C., remains on schedule for a late 2009 startup. The project represents an investment of $160 million for the company.

According to the company, the foundation is nearly complete and most of the production and warehouse areas are also complete. Most floors that are under the roof have been poured and most heavy equipment has been set in place.

The MDF facility will be able to produce multiple grades, thicknesses and sizes for manufacturers of kitchen cabinetry, office and residential furniture, store fixtures, flooring and molding. The Chatham County plant will also supply material to Pergo, a sister company in the region that develops and manufactures laminate flooring.

Uniboard’s Moncure MDF facility will be part of the Moncure mega-site, which currently offers particleboard and thermofused melamine panels.

MACTEC Awarded $13.3-Million Contract from USMC at Camp LeJeune

MACTEC Engineering and Consulting of Alpharetta, Ga., was awarded a $13.3-million firm fixed price architect and engineering contract for design of a new base entry point at Marine Corps Base, Camp Lejeune, N.C. The project is a joint venture with Raleigh, N.C.-based Rummel, Klepper & Kahl.

The proposed entry point will help mitigate traffic congestion. The design includes 6.5 mi of new four-lane roadway, three major interchanges and three major bridges crossings. The contract also contains several options, which if exercised would increase the cumulative contract value to more than $14.5 million.

According to MACTEC/RKK Joint Venture Project Director Jesse R. Barker, the joint venture will provide detailed working drawings, specifications and cost estimates for competitive bidding for the new base entry point and access roads.

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