California 14 July 13, 2025 by Construction Equipment Guide

Danieli Working On First California Steel Mill in 50 Years

By Lori Tobias CEG CORRESPONDENT

Work on California’s first steel mill in California in five decades is on schedule and progressing as planned. Crews are excavating the Mojave Micro Mill’s deep foundations and will be pouring concrete for the first foundation in midJuly.

Connections for construction water in the desert setting have been completed, and work is ongoing on fencing, temporary power and site grading.

Since its 2014 inception, Pacific Steel Group (PSG) served as a leading reinforcing steel fabrication and placement company in the western U.S. Then in 2019, the last rebar producer in California closed, leaving Pacific Steel little choice but to buy and transport steel from out-of-state producers.

That’s when the group made the decision to fill the gap in the market on their own.

In March 2025, PSG broke ground on the Mojave Micro Mill, the first steel mill to be built in California in the last five decades and California’s first zero-process carbon emissions rebar mill.

Danieli Corp. is the main contractor, Hatch Engineering will oversee site management and procurement, Largo is the concrete subcontractor and PSG will provide and install the fabricated rebar.

Once operating, the mill is expected to provide permanent employment for about 400 employees.

The $630 million project will employ about 515 construction workers on average, peaking at about 600 over a two-year period, said Mark Olson, vice-president of mill operations.

“We looked at an opportunity to vertically integrate our business and produce our own reinforcing steel for our own customers that we would then fabricate and install in construction projects throughout primarily a range of 400 miles,” Olson said. “That was really the genesis of this project.”

“Pacific Steel Group’s investment in Kern County is more

than just the construction of a steel mill — it’s a transformational step forward for our local economy and workforce,” said supervisor Chris Parlier at the groundbreaking. “The Mojave Micro Mill represents the future of American manufacturing, producing seismic-grade, green rebar right here in Kern County.”

Among the biggest challenges so far has been winning approval for the project in the Mojave Desert under The California Quality Act (CEQA), Olson said.

“The regulatory process was daunting. We knew that it would be, and it should be. So, I'd say when we achieved approval last March, we achieved a major milestone. It took us from the time we signed the contract for our steel mill provider until we received CEQA approval 23 months later. And anybody that knows anything about CEQA in California knows that quite an accomplishment.”

Turner Construction Lands Two Major California Projects

Turner Construction Co. announced that it was selected as contractor on two significant California projects.

On June 24, 2025, Turner said it was selected as the overall site manager for the multi-billion-dollar, 17.5-acre One Beverly Hills project in Beverly Hills. Turner will serve as the contractor on the first phase of the project and oversee construction of the overall project. The project broke ground in February 2024.

And on June 11, 2025, Turner was named the lead builder for Republic FC’s new 12,000-seat stadium in downtown Sacramento. This transformative project represents more than a sports venue — it is an investment in the city’s cultural, civic and economic future.

Master planned by Foster + Partners, One Beverly Hills will include two Aman-branded residential towers, an Aman Hotel and Aman Club designed by Kerry Hill Architects.

The Beverly Hilton, home of the Golden Globes and the Milken Global Conference, is set to undergo a comprehensive redesign led by David Collins Studio. In addition, the development will feature 10 acres of botanical gardens and open space designed by global design firm Rios with inte-

grated hospitality and retail elements throughout.

“We are thrilled to work on this iconic project,” said Reed McMains, vice president and general manager, Turner Construction. “One Beverly Hills will usher in the next exciting chapter in Beverly Hills’ remarkable history. This project will bring more than 2,500 construction jobs to the area, and we look forward to continuing our work with Cain International and OKO Group to bring this project to life.”

Adamson Associates is serving as the executive architect for the overall project. One Beverly Hills is expected to be completed in late 2027.

As for the soccer stadium, Turner brings not only deep expertise but also longstanding ties to Northern California to this endeavor. Turner is committed to building a stadium that reflects the values and aspirations of the Sacramento community and serves as a welcoming gathering place for sports, arts and civic life.

“What an incredible moment to pause and celebrate what this project means in forward progress and lasting impact for the community we live and work in,” said Drake Costa, vice president and general manager, Turner Construction.

“With a clear alignment in our collective core values, we are excited for what this project means for Sacramento, beyond the build. We are proud to join with Wilton Rancheria and Republic FC to build a stadium that’s grounded in community, rooted in history and built for the future of Sacramento.”

Turner’s portfolio includes iconic sports facilities such as the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, SoFi Stadium in Inglewood and TQL Stadium for FC Cincinnati. Turner’s proven track record demonstrates a commitment to sustainability, fan-first design and construction excellence.

Beyond construction, Turner and Republic FC are collaborating on programs that support workforce development, elevate local businesses and deliver lasting economic value. The project is expected to create more than 1,200 construction jobs and contribute more than $240 million to the local economy.

Groundbreaking is set for late summer 2025. The stadium is scheduled to open in 2027, adding nearly 40 additional large events to the city’s entertainment calendar. 

Port of Los Angeles Wraps $22.7M Rebuilding of Six Berths

The Port of Los Angeles announced on June 18, 2025, that it completed a $22.7 million construction project that rebuilt Berths 177-182 as part of its Wharf Restoration project along the East Basin Channel in Wilmington, supplychainbrain.com reported.

The Los Angeles Board of Harbor Commissioners approved the project in September 2023, and construction began in November 2023.

Reyes/Larison Joint Venture of Pomona, Calif., handled the construction.

The project included constructing approximately 382 linear ft. of concrete wharf that is 62 ft. wide. Work also included slope erosion repair and upgrades to bollards.

The new wharf, which was designed to comply with the port’s seismic code, par-

tially replaces a timber wharf that fire extensively damaged in 2014, according to supplychainbrain.com.

“The completion of this project on the

heels of the catastrophic Eaton and Palisades fires is a stark reminder of the need to rebuild with long-term resiliency as a top priority,” said Gene Seroka, the port’s

executive director. “We’re proud to deliver this key infrastructure project as steel-handling operations remain uninterrupted.”

“Designing and building infrastructure with fire prevention in mind is critical to our operations,” said Dina Aryan-Zahlan, the port’s executive director of development.

“This port is more than 100 years old; terminal modernization is essential to maintain our competitive edge.”

The wharf enables allows terminal operator Pasha Stevedoring & Terminals to continue shipping and receiving steel products; those include coils of sheet metal and wire rods, tubing, piping, rebar and other bulk material, according to supplychainbrain.com. That terminal is a specialized 40-acre steel-handling facility. The covered on-dock warehouses comprise a 116,000 sq.-ft. transit shed. 

Foster + Partners & Kerry Hill Architects rendering

One Beverly Hills

Courtesy of Sacramento Republic FC rendering Republic FC Stadium

Port of Los Angeles photo

The Port of Los Angeles is the West Coast’s largest steel-handling port.

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Construction Begins On U.S. 101/SR 25 Interchange Upgrade

The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA), Caltrans and local leaders marked on May 25, 2025, the groundbreaking of the long-anticipated U.S. 101/State Route 25 Interchange Upgrade Project — designed to ease congestion, improve safety and better connect South County residents to jobs, schools, and services.

DeSilva Gates Construction of Dublin, Calif., is the contractor.

“We are not just improving roads — we are creating lasting connections between the communities of Morgan Hill and Gilroy and our San Benito County neighbors — ensuring access to opportunity, future growth, and the success of our region,” said Sergio

Lopez, the mayor of Campbell and the VTA board chair.

The event took place in Gilroy, a short distance from where the construction is happening, featuring representatives from VTA, CalTrans and Santa Clara and San Benito counties.

The existing interchange just south of Gilroy in Santa Clara County is more than 30 years old. It cannot accommodate traffic demands due to the rapid growth in commuter, commercial and recreational traffic that passes through the area. These conditions and high travel speeds have resulted in higher-than-average accident rates in the interchange area and traffic backups onto

southbound U.S. 101.

Project Components

Phase 1 will:

• Reconstruct the U.S. 101/SR 25 interchange slightly north of the current interchange.

• Replace the SR 25 two-lane overcrossing with a four-lane overcrossing spanning across U.S. 101.

• Increase the length of the southbound U.S. 101 off-ramp to SR 25 to decrease traffic backups onto U.S. 101.

• Upgrade the northbound U.S.101 ramps to improve exit and merging operations.

• Install new traffic signals at the ramp intersections to improve traffic flow.

• Construct a separated two-way bikeway between Castro Valley Road and the southbound U.S. 101/SR 25 intersection.

Project objectives include improving connectivity between U.S. 101 and SR 25; improving traffic operations along U.S. 101 and SR 25 with added ramp storage and signals; enhancing safety within the interchange area by reducing ramp backups onto southbound U.S. 101 and providing improved access for safer merges; and supporting the overall future interchange reconfiguration, including U.S. 101 and SR 25 widening, and future State Route 152 improvements between U.S. 101 and State Route 156.

As additional funding becomes available,

future phases of interchange improvements will be scheduled. These future upgrades include converting the interchange to a partial cloverleaf or diamond ramp configuration with potential direct connectors, frontage roads for local and bicycle access, and grade separating SR 25 from the Union Pacific Railroad east of U.S. 101.

This $136 million project is funded through a combination of local sales tax measures, state transportation dollars and federal contributions. It’s one of many projects on which VTA has partnered with the state transportation agency.

“This project represents a shared investment in the safety, operational improvements, mobility, and future of this region. With $59 million in SB 1 funds for construction capital and support from VTA’s Measure B, we’re building more than infrastructure — we’re building long-term regional connections,” said Dina ElTawansy, Caltrans District 4 Bay Area director.

Senate Bill 1 (SB 1) has invested approximately $5 billion annually toward transportation projects since 2017. It provides funding split between the state and local agencies. Road projects progress through construction phases more quickly based on the availability of funds, including projects that are partially funded by SB 1. For details, visit build.ca.gov and rebuildca.ca.gov. 

Bobcat Co., Actor, Director Josh Duhamel Give Back to LAFD

Actor and Hollywood director Josh Duhamel recently partnered with Bobcat Co. for a surprise visit to Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) Station 88 to deliver a powerful gift: a brand-new Bobcat UV34XL utility vehicle.

The donation was part of Bobcat’s “Work Worth Doing” campaign — a nationwide initiative celebrating the work of everyday people who are making a difference. Duhamel, a Bobcat ambassador, personally handed over the keys to the UTV in recognition of the LAFD’s first, fulltime, paid wildland hand crew, who help mitigate and control wildfires and will use the UTV on the frontlines of future fires.

“I think this is some of the most honorable work that you can do,” said Duhamel. “It takes a special kind of person to sign up as a firefighter, especially in a place like Los Angeles where wildfires run

rampant. We believe, myself and Bobcat, that the firefighters deserve the best tools out there, and that’s why we wanted to donate this machine. I think that anytime you can support those who are protecting others is definitely work worth doing.”

Bobcat also is supporting the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation by donating a portion of proceeds from the sale of its limited-edition hat Duhamel is seen wearing during his recent visit to the LAFD.

“We are grateful for Bobcat and Josh’s commitment to advancing our efforts with the generous donation of a Bobcat UTV,” said Adam VanGerpen, captain and public information officer, Los Angeles City Fire Department.

“This will enhance our hand crew’s efficiency in mitigating and fighting wildfires, enabling us to achieve so much more in our mis-

sion to keep the community safe.”

Bobcat kicked off its “Work Worth Doing” initiative in May 2025 by teaming up with entrepreneur and Magnolia co-founder Chip Gaines to surprise a deserving neighbor and a United States veteran, Jason Shields, with a Bobcat T595 compact track loader.

Shields is the founder of Hoof Haven Sanctuary, a non-profit that rescues endangered or injured horses, rehabilitates them and provides them with a forever home.

The “Work Worth Doing” initiative continues throughout 2025 with other Bobcat ambassadors, including country musician Justin Moore and professional BMX rider Ryan Nyquist, visiting and rewarding people making a difference in their communities.

For more information, visit bobcat.com/na/en. 

Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority photo Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA), Caltrans and local leaders break ground near Gilroy, Calif., on the U.S. 101/State Route 25 interchange upgrade project.

Bobcat photo

Actor and Hollywood director Josh Duhamel (L) recently partnered with Bobcat Co. for a surprise visit to Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) Station 88 to deliver a powerful gift: a brandnew Bobcat UV34XL utility vehicle.

Next Issue Closes July 30th

Pacific Steel Group Touts Mill as Clear Energy Producer

The Mojave Micro Mill is being billed as “one of the cleanest mills in the world,” spanning 174 acres, with approximately 63 dedicated to on-site renewable energy.

PSG has designed the facility to establish new industry standards for emissions reduction by incorporating a carbon capture system, secondary high-efficiency filtration, and NOx emissions mitigation.

“We knew that if we were going to bring steel making back to California, that we were going to have to ensure that we had state-of-the-art technology innovation,” Olson said. “This will be the first EAF (Electric Arc Furnace) steel production that does not use natural gas.

Since the facility would not be using natural gas, PSG did not bring in a natural gas line to the site. The group reasoned

it would be costly if it became necessary in the coming years to retrofit natural gas out of the process, or to introduce new emission control technologies that hadn’t been tried before.

“We thought it would be wise and more cost effective to design and build this upfront,” Olson said. ”We believe that we will set global benchmarks for not just carbon emissions, which seems to be a big focus these days, but also criteria pollutants.”

The facility also will have a “robust renewable energy portfolio” supporting the mill, including lithium and non- lithium batteries, he said. “It will produce, out of the gate, about 59 percent of our power needs.”

One of the challenges, however, is that

the sun doesn’t shine 24 hours a day, making a connection to the electric provider necessary for the times when the facility is not able to take advantage of the sun.

“One of the other reasons we sited at this location in the Mojave Desert is you get the most efficient use of photovoltaic. You have high efficiency, probably the best available in the country, right here in the Mojave,” Olson said. “That's going to support us directly into our substation. So, we're going to feed our process directly from the solar and the batteries.”

PSG also is introducing pollution control technologies that have never been implemented in EAF steel production. It’s not new technology, Olson said.

“But it is new for this process. It has been used in coal-fired power plants and oil and gas refineries and cement plants, but it’s never been used in steel before,” he said. “So, we partnered with Danieli, who is a steel process expert, to help us implement these technologies and couple them with an EAF gas stream, which has always been the challenge. So, pretty special stuff.”

PSG expects the mill to be producing steel by the third quarter of 2027.  CEG

(All photos courtesy of Pacific Steel Group.)

Monterey Regional Airport Breaks Ground On Terminal

The Monterey Peninsula Airport District, operator of Monterey Regional Airport (MRY), and partners broke ground on June 6, 2025, on a replacement passenger terminal, marking the first step in elevating the experience for travelers, airport employees and other users.

One project of many in the MRY Metamorphosis Safety Enhancement Program (SEP), which is a Federal Aviation Administration requirement to enhance safety at the airport, the new terminal will deliver a modern, accessible and efficient travel experience when passengers begin using it in 2027.

Contracting partners include HOK, terminal architects; Hensel Phelps, terminal developer; Otto Construction, roadway and public parking developer; and Graniterock Vanguard, JV, commercial aircraft apron developer.

The airport’s board and administration staff, currently serving travelers from a terminal constructed in the 1950s, celebrated a significant milestone in MRY’s history along with partners and community members. With a ceremonial dirt drop from a bucket loader and cutting of a ribbon, the airport took a giant leap forward in delivering a state-of-the-art travel expe-

rience for Monterey area residents and visitors.

In addition to breaking ground on the new 62,754-sq.-ft. of public space terminal with five gates and boarding bridges, airport representatives and partners celebrated the near completion of the replacement 425,000 sq.-ft. commercial aircraft apron — with parking for eight airplanes — being constructed alongside the future terminal site. The $200 million-plus MRY Metamorphosis SEP, which includes roadway circulation and safety upgrades and a new 440space public parking lot, is made possible through multiple and significant federal grants.

Peninsula District board of directors chair.

MRY Executive Director

Michael La Pier retired from MRY at the conclusion of the groundbreaking event after serving as the airport’s executive director since July 2015 and after a 44-year career in the aviation industry.

Sustainability has been an important focus for the MRY Metamorphosis SEP, with staff and contracting partners focused on these goals:

“The Central Coast deserves aviation infrastructure that keeps pace with our region’s economic, environmental and cultural dynamism,” said U.S. Rep. Jimmy Panetta. “The new terminal at Monterey Regional Airport will deliver a safer, highly efficient and more comfortable travel experience for residents, businesspeople and visitors alike. I’m proud that we were able to secure federal funding for this project and build a continued partnership with local lead-

ers so that together we will have an airport that benefits everyone.”

Other projects in the SEP include an Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting (ARFF) station that opened in 2023, new general aviation hangars on the airport’s northside completed in 2023 and the future relocation of Taxiway A, the final phase of the SEP.

“Monterey Regional Airport is undergoing a metamorphosis, a significant transformation that our passengers and other users will soon enjoy experiencing for decades to come,” said Carl Miller, Monterey Airport

• ARFF station — LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver-certified (achieved);

• Replacement passenger terminal — LEED Platinum-certified; and

• Commercial aircraft apron — Envision Silver rating.

In addition to federal grants, funding for the MRY Metamorphosis SEP is made possible through airport revenues and passenger user fees. Airport revenues include parking fees, landing fees and rents from concessionaires and other tenants. State and local taxes are not being used to fund the program. 

A Volvo wheel loader awaits a task in the early stages of steel mill construction.

The March 2025 groundbreaking for the Mojave Micro Mill

Monterey Regional Airport photo

A John Deere 844L wheel loader stands ready for action at the June 6, 2025, groundbreaking of a new terminal at Monterey Regional Airport

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