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The Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority has broken ground on the $743m 183 South Expressway project.The eight-mile expressway will stretch from US 290 to State Highway71, tripling capacity on a corridor that carries more than 60,000 vehicles each day. It will have three tolled lanes in each direction in the middle of US 183, while the existing US 183 will be rebuilt with up to three non-tolled general purpose lanes in each direction.The new road will provide a non-stop, signal-free route to and from the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. The project will also include a $25m investment in bicycle and pedestrian facilities. The project will preserve the Montopolis Steel Truss Bridge by transforming it into a bicycle and pedestrian bridge that will connect to a new trail head at the Colorado River below.Construction is expected to last about four years and take place in two phases. Phase one improvements, between US 290/290 Expressway and TechniCenter Drive, are scheduled to be completed in 2019. The second phase, stretching up to SH 71, is expected to be finished a year later.Mobility Authority chairman Ray Wilkerson said: "Beginning work on the 183 South Expressway project is a tremendous win for Central Texas as we build a stronger transportation network and enhance one of our area's key corridors, which hasn't seen an upgrade this significant since it was built more than 50 years ago."The Mobility Authority's hope for this roadway is that it will support broader efforts of making this region and city increasingly liveable and accessible for years to come."
Japan-based IT services provider NEC Corporation has started construction on Angola Cables' South Atlantic Cable System (SACS).Expected to cost $160m, the project is due to become the first subsea fibre optic cable system to connect Africa and South America.Spanning more than 6,200 km across the South Atlantic, the cable will link Angola and Fortaleza, Brazil. From Fortaleza, SACS can be further connected to another cable system that stretches up to Miami, thus allowing Angola and the rest of Africa to connect directly with the US.The project will have the latest optical technologies to provide advanced subsea telecommunications system, along with a control plane based on Software-Defined Networking (SDN) technology to serve bandwidth-intensive applications. SACS will feature an initial design capacity of 40Tpbs (100Gbps x 100 wavelengths x 4 fibre pairs).Scheduled to be operational by mid-2018, SACS will be partially co-funded by the Japan Bank for International Cooperation and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation with the cooperation of Nippon Export and Investment Insurance through the Banco de Desenvolvimento de Angola.Angola Cables CEO Antonio Nunes said: "SACS will be constructed using state-of-the-art technology, with 100G-coherent design for low latency, reliable delivery for even the most demanding bandwidth needs and direct data-centre-to-data-centre connectivity across the Atlantic."
Facebook has started construction of a EUR200m ($227.9m) data centre in Clonee village in County Meath, Ireland.The 621,000 sq ft Clonee facility will be Facebook’s first in Ireland and second in Europe, and sixth across the globe. The facility will be a central part of Facebook's global infrastructure allowing customers to connect with each other.Facebook has signed a long-term renewable energy supply agreement with Brookfield Renewable Energy Partners to supply 100% renewable wind energy to the Clonee facility. The agreement is in line with the company’s plan to reach the goal of powering 50% of its infrastructure with clean and renewable energy by the end of 2018.The data centre is scheduled to be operational by late 2017 or early 2018. It is expected to create 2,000 jobs during the construction phase and around 150 longer-term jobs.
Brookfield Multiplex, an Australia-based contracting and development company, has signed an AUD1bn ($756m) construction contract with Chinese property developer Dalian Wanda and its partner Ridong Group to build a Jewel hotel and apartment complex on Australia’s Gold Coast.The three-tower construction project will house more than 500 residential apartments, basement parking, a 169-room five-star hotel and high-end retail and dining precincts.The Jewel project is slated to be opened in early 2019.During construction phase, the Jewel complex is set to create more than 2,700 jobs and another 500 post-construction jobs for ongoing operations and maintenance.Queensland Acting Premier Jackie Trad said: “Once opened in early 2019, the Jewel will be Australia’s largest hotel and residential complex, and such a significant investment from China’s private sector shows the value the international market places on this booming tourism hub right here in Queensland.
Alabama Senate has passed Governor Robert Bentley's $800m bill to construct four prisons in the state.At present, Alabama prisons have about 24,000 inmates in facilities originally designed for about 13,000. The bill calls for closing 13 of the 15 men's prisons and Julia Tutwiler Prison for Women. The state would build three new men's prisons accommodating 4,000 inmates each, and a new one for women with 1,200 beds. Replacing the old prisons will add about 3,000 beds.The state will borrow the money for construction.Governor Robert Bentley said: "I commend the Senate for taking a bold and decisive step toward prioritizing public safety in our prison system with the construction of four new prisons."The passage of this bill will help reduce overcrowding and will provide safer conditions for corrections officers as well as inmates within the facilities."New facilities will also create greater opportunities to reduce the risk of recidivism."
Siemens Financial Services (SFS) and Macquarie Infrastructure Partners III (MIP III) have agreed to construct a natural gas-fueled power plant worth more than $800m on a 150-acre property in Lordstown, Ohio. MIP III and SFS will provide 73% and 27% of the equity investment to help realise the project.Siemens has been chosen as the turnkey supplier for the 940MW natural gas-fired combined cycle power plant. The company will supply two gas turbines, one steam turbine, two generators as part of the gas turbine packages, one generator as part of the steam turbine package, and an integrated plant control system. The clean power produced at the Lordstown Energy Centre will be delivered to the PJM market, which serves approximately 800,000 homes. The plant will replace a portion of the more than 18GW of coal-fired generating capacity in the region.Clean Energy Future, the developer of the project, will retain an interest in the project, which is slated to be operational in summer 2018.During the development and construction phase, approximately 450 people will be employed in union positions. A consortium of banks led by Industrial & Commercial Bank of China, Credit Agricole, Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Investec will finance the project with a $445m term debt.Siemens Power and Gas Division North America sales head and senior vice president John Gibson said: “As we look at the future of power generation in the United States, projects like the Lordstown Energy Center provide an example of how communities can harness cleaner-burning and affordable natural gas to provide efficient and reliable power.”
Enel Group subsidiary Enel Green Power Brasil Participações (EGPB) has begun construction of the Lapa solar park, which is expected to cost about $175m.The company secured the Lapa solar park project, together with Horizonte MP (103MW) and Nova Olinda (292MW), during the Leilão de Reserva public tender in August 2015.The 158MW solar park is being built on a site located at Bom Jesus da Lapa in Brazil's north-eastern state of Bahia. It will comprise two facilities – the 80MW Bom Jesus da Lapa and the 78MW Lapa.When functional, the solar park will generate close to 340GWh per year, sufficient to power more than 166,000 Brazilian households annually and prevent about 198,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide from emanating into the atmosphere.The project will be supported by 20-year supply contracts that will allow sale of specified volumes of energy generated by the plants to the Brazilian Chamber of Commercialisation of Electric Energy (Câmara de Comercialização da Energia Elétrica or CCEE).The solar park is scheduled to become operational in the second half of 2017.
Indian construction firm MBL Infrastructures has secured two road development projects worth INR21.3bn ($320m) from National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) in Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh.NHAI awarded the projects on a DBFOT (design-build-finance-operate-transfer) hybrid annuity basis.Construction period for both the projects is stipulated at 730 days. During construction, 40% of the bid project cost will be funded by NHAI and the remaining 60% will be arranged by the concessionaire.
The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe is set to break ground on First Light Resort & Casino in Taunton, Massachusetts, with an estimated cost of $1bn.The project will cover around 151 acres within an industrial park at 61R Stevens Street.The 150,000 sq ft casino will feature 3,000 slot machines, 150 gaming tables and 40 poker tables; food court, international buffet, two fine dining restaurants, center bar with lounge and stage, and a 24-hour café; 10 retail stores; 300-room luxury hotel with spa, large pool, roof terrace, and six event/meeting spaces; 300-room mid-range hotel with its own 200-seat 24-hour restaurant and 15,000 sq ft event centre; 300-room family 'water park' hotel with a 25,000 sq ft indoor/outdoor water park and an additional 500 surface parking spaces and 3,980 parking spaces in a parking garage.Construction will take place in four phases. The first phase of construction is slated to be completed by summer of 2017. The hotels, parking garage and water park will be built out through 2022.Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe's destination resort casino will create 1,000 union construction jobs during the building phases. The project will eventually bring over 2,500 permanent jobs to Taunton. Additionally, the resort casino will provide an estimated $120m in economic benefits to Taunton through payroll and opportunity for local business.The First Light Resort & Casino project is being backed by Malaysia-based casino operator Genting Group.
The Bangladesh Bridge Authority (BBA), a wing of the Road Transport and Bridges Ministry of Bangladesh, plans to build four underground railways across Dhaka in a bid to mitigate traffic congestion.The cost of the first two railways is estimated to be $8.14bn.According to the proposal, a 32km-long subway will connect Sayedabad with Tongi, via Airport, Banani, Mohakhali, Moghbazar, Paltan and Motijheel, at a cost of $5.265bn. It will later be extended to Arranging. The second subway, totalling a distance of 16km, will connect Aminbazar with Sayedabad. The proposed route will go through Gabtoli to Shyamoli, Asadgate, Newmarket, Tsc and Motijheel and will cost $2.87bn.Planning for the third and fourth routes is still in a development stage. These will connect Gabtoli with Sadarghat, and Rampura with Sadarghat, respectively.
The World Bank has approved $100m of funding for the Karnataka Urban Water Supply Modernization Project (KUWSMP) in India to provide clean water to citizens of Hubballi-Dharwad.The project will be implemented by the Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation. The municipality will hire a professional water supply operating company to help improve its water supply system through a 12-year contract. It will retain ownership of the water supply assets and control of the service delivery set up. KUWSMP will enable the Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation to set up a city-level water utility that will take over water supply operations from the operating company at the end of its contract period.The $100m loan from World Banks’ International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) has a five-year grace period, and a maturity of 24 years.World Bank country director for India Onno Ruhl said: “No major city in fast-urbanizing India provides its residents with continuous piped water supply, a situation that particularly affects the poor, women and children, who spend time and money to secure water for their basic needs.“The government of Karnataka and the city authorities of Hubballi-Dharwad are trying to change this reality. The World Bank is pleased to support their efforts to ensure that all the citizens of the twin cities, including the poor who usually remain under-served in most urban areas, have access to clean water in their homes.”
Dutch port operator APM Terminals is set to develop a new trans-shipment terminal at the Tanger Med 2 port complex in the Moroccan city of Tangier.Estimated to cost €758m, APM Terminals MedPort Tangier will have annual capacity of 5m TEUs, increasing the port's total annual throughput capacity to over 9m TEUs. It will feature the latest technology and have up to 2,000m of quay length, along with the technology pioneered at the APM Terminals Maasvlakte II Rotterdam terminal. APM Terminals already operates the APM Terminals Tangier facility at Tanger Med 1 port. The 30-year concession of APM Terminals MedPort Tangier at Tanger Med 2 port will complement the current operations of the existing APM Terminals Tangier facility.The new terminal is scheduled to commence operations in 2019.APM Terminals CEO Kim Fejfer said: "Terminals MedPort Tangier will bring important innovation and future capacity into the West Med market on one of the world's most strategic seaways - the Strait of Gibraltar."
The construction unit of Larsen & Toubro (L&T) has won contracts worth INR22.71bn ($343.1m) across its various businesses.L&T's buildings and factories business has secured a turnkey contract valued at INR15bn ($226.6m) to build a mixed-used development in New Delhi.The contract will include the construction of a convention centre, a business centre tower and two hotel towers as part of the overall development. L&T's scope of work will also involve civil, structural, architectural, mechanical, electrical, plumbing and finishing works.L&T has also won an INR4.5bn ($68m) contract for the expansion of Hyderabad's Air Force Academy. The project will include the extension of the main runway and parallel taxi track, widening of tracks, earth filling and allied works.The company’s power transmission and distribution business has secured new orders worth INR3.21bn ($48.4m) in both the domestic and international markets. On the domestic front, the company has received an EPC order for 765kV double circuit Bhuj Banaskanta transmission line (part-1) from Power Grid Corporation of India Limited, which is associated with Green Energy Corridor.In the overseas sector, L&T has won a contract from Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) for the engineering, procurement and construction of 500kV Transmission Line for Thai/Laos Border Crossing.
Budimex, a subsidiary of Ferrovial Agroman, has secured a project worth about €175m to design and build the Olsztyn bypass in north-eastern Poland.The scope of the work will include the construction of 14.7km of the S51 highway as it passes south-east of the city.It will also involve the construction of two intersections and access roads, 16 overpasses (one for the railway line), two bridges and a pedestrian overpass.Further, Budimex will also improve some other roads in the municipality. The work on the project is anticipated to be completed in 28 months, excluding the winter time.Recently, Budimex has increased its backlog of road projects with the award of two sections of the S7 (between Nowy Dwor Gdanski and Kazimierzowo and in Ostroda), two sections of the S6 (Ploty-Kielpino and Goleniow-Nowogaid), two segments of the S17 (Garwolin-Gonczyce and Gonczyce to the Lublin-Warsaw provincial border) and the Kepno bypass, on the S11. It has also been selected to build the depot for the light railway system in Olsztyn.
MMC Gamuda KVMRT (T) (MGKT) has won a MYR15.47bn ($4bn) contract from Mass Rapid Transit Corporation (MRT Corp) for an Underground Works Package for the MRT Sungai BulohSerdang-Putrajaya (SSP) Line in Malaysia.The SSP Line is 52.2km in length, of which 13.5km will run underground. It will have 37 stations, including 11 underground stations.The Underground Works Package involves the design, construction and completion of tunnels, underground stations and associated structures such as portals and escape shafts for the SSP Line’s 13.5km underground alignment from the Jalan lpoh North Escape Shaft to the Desa Waterpark South Portal.MRT Corp CEO Dato’ Sri Shahril Mokhtar said MGKT had a proven track record in carrying out tunnelling and other underground works in the challenging geology of the Klang Valley. “The working relationship between MRT Corp and MGKT began with the MRT Sungai Buloh-Kajang Line. This good relationship can now continue with the SSP Line.”
Goodman Group has commenced the second stage of development of the $1.5bn Goodman Business Park in Chiba Newtown, Japan.
Ford Motor Company is investing $1.6bn in a new plant in Mexico's San Luis Potosi State in a bid to increase production of small cars.
An Egyptian-Chinese alliance has broken ground on Egypt’s new administrative capital which is estimated to cost $45bn.
Global construction output will reach US$10 trillion by 2020, driven by Asia-Pacific and emerging markets, according to a new report from Timetric’s Construction Intelligence Center.The Global Construction Outlook 2020 report forecasts that expansion will increase by an annual average of 3.4% from 2015 to 2020, leading to the overall market value growing from $8.5tr to $10tr. In the previous five years annual average growth was 2.4%, with output increasing from the 2010 total of $7.5tr.Emerging markets will account for more than half of the global construction output in 2020, rising to 51.9% from its 43.9% share in 2010, despite the annual average rate of growth slowing to 4.2%, from 5.2% in 2011-2015.Growth in the Asia-Pacific region is set to slow, due in part to the slowdown in China’s construction sector, exacerbated by a glut of new residential property being completed. However, the region will still account for the largest share of the global construction industry, with South-East Asia investing heavily in new infrastructure projects funded by private investment.Western European markets will continue to recover, the report states, although investor confidence is fragile due to ongoing troubles in the Eurozone, and the crisis involving Russia and Ukraine. The German construction industry will remain slow, due partly to the government’s focus on austerity.
Mayo Clinic is set to invest $100m in major construction projects at its Florida campus in 2016.Mayo Clinic will start constructing a destination medical building in mid-2016. The facility will provide integrated services needed for complex cancer, as well as neurologic and neurosurgical care.Initially, the building will have four floors, covering an area of 150,000 sq ft, with the potential for 11 more levels. Two floors will be devoted exclusively to haematology and oncology care, one floor for neurology and neurosurgery, a chemotherapy area, and spaces for training residents and fellows.Once opened, the building is expected to serve more than 126,000 patients in the first year alone. The staff strength of the haematology and oncology department will increase by 50%. The project will also enable the hiring of 12 new neurologists and neurosurgeons.Mayo Clinic has said that another construction project slated to commence this year on its Florida campus is a positron emission tomography (PET) radiochemistry facility.
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