Aecom has won a contract to build Faraday Future’s electric car manufacturing plant in North Las Vegas, Nevada.
As the seventh-largest state in the US by area, Nevada needs its roads. And the largest freeway construction project in the state’s history is currently underway.Called Project Neon and commissioned by the Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT), the undertaking covers a 3.7-mile corridor through the heart of Las Vegas and will cost almost $1bn in total. It includes the approach spiral Interstate 15/US Highway 95 interchange — otherwise known as the Spaghetti Bowl — where around 300,000 vehicles pass through daily, conducting 25,000 lane changes every hour.Design lead on the project team is Atkins, who are managing all design and engineering services, including the project’s Active Traffic Management System (ATM). This is key to realising the NDOT’s overall construction plan, which prioritises safety and driver awareness.It involves keeping motorists informed with real-time information and updates — before, during and after the construction of the freeway project. Atkins has previous experience with this type of technology, having designed freeway management systems for more than 80 miles of roads in Southern Nevada in the past.The dynamic message signs positioned over the freeways provide information on alternative routes, any traffic incidents and restrictions, and instructions regarding lane control and variable speed limits.The project is indicative of more than one current trend in the road construction sector, says Atkins.“As a design, engineering and project management consultancy, we have seen an increase in the use of public-private partnerships (P3) to fund and operate projects, as well as an increase in design-build as the method for project delivery,” says Barry Schulz, chief operating officer for Atkins, North America.
Faraday Future, a US-based electric car maker, has broken ground on $1bn manufacturing plant in Nevada.The company said that it will build its flagship production vehicle at the new facility located 25 miles north of the Las Vegas Strip.The environmentally-friendly plant will be powered by solar, wind, and geo-thermal energy. Construction work on the project will commence in less than a month’s time. The project is expected to create 4,500 jobs in the region.Faraday Future global vice president of manufacturing Dag Reckhorn said: “This first plant will be a truly modern workspace, offering a clean, open air environment, ergonomic arrangements, and an encouraged interactivity between employees and visitors. This will make for a brand new, cutting-edge west coast hub for the EV industry.”
The Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT), along with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and city of Las Vegas, has begun construction on Project NEON, a public works project that will entail an investment of about $1bn.Kiewit Infrastructure West Co. is the general contractor for the project under a $559.4m design-build contract, with Atkins North America serving as the project's lead designer.Project NEON will widen 3.7 miles of Interstate 15 between Sahara Avenue and the ‘Spaghetti Bowl’ interchange in downtown Las Vegas. At present nearly 300,000 vehicles pass through this route daily, with 25,000 lane changes per hour. Traffic through the corridor is expected to double by 2035.Project NEON will include an 81ft-tall, 2,606ft-long High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) flyover bridge that will also accommodate carpool traffic along part of the route.The project will also convert the two existing I-15 express lanes into a general purpose and HOV lane, thus creating 22 consecutive miles of carpool lanes.Other proposed upgrades include extending Grand Central Parkway over the Union Pacific Railroad tracks, and connecting to Industrial Road for improved resort corridor access and mobility.When completed in mid-2019, Project NEON will reduce travel delays by 28%, creating $110m in annual savings through increased productivity. It will create 4,000 jobs in the region.