TEXAS STATE EDITION
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March 5 2017 Vol. II • No. 5
“The Nation’s Best Read Construction Newspaper… Founded in 1957.” Your Texas Connection • Dennis Hogeboom • 1-877-7CEGLTD • dennishogeboom@cegltd.
$102M Streetcar Restoration Project Under Way in El Paso By Chuck Harvey CEG CORRESPONDENT
The clang-clang sound of streetcars will be returning to the west Texas border city of El Paso. Construction is under way on a $102 million, 4.8-mi. (7.7 km) electric streetcar system that will carry passengers on rails through downtown and uptown parts of the city including a stop near the Mexican border. Of the $102 million, $18.8 million will go toward restoration of six streetcars that last ran on El Paso streets in 1974. The Texas Transportation Commission provided funding for construction of the project. Infrastructure construction includes new asphalt and track on streets along the route, construction of substations and installation of overhead electrical connections for the cars. Meanwhile, the his-
toric streetcars are being prepped for restoration or remanufacturing. Brookville Equipment Corp. of Brookville, Pa., is in charge of restoring the six vintage streetcars. The company is known for manufacturing and restoring streetcars, as well as locomotive engines and mining machinery. The streetcars being restored are known as PPC (President’s Conference Committee) cars. They are owned by the city of El Paso, and are the same six streetcars that ran along downtown El Paso streets from the late 1930s until the system closed down in 1974. Each car is receiving body work and being repainted to their original luster. Because the cars sat stored in a dry desert climate, they were in surprisingly good condition when Brookville Equipment Corp. first
inspected them. Brookville workers have sandblasted the cars down to bare metal prior to painting. see STREETCAR page 10
Construction is under way on a $102 million, 4.8-mi. (7.7 km) electric streetcar system in El Paso, Texas.
The streetcars are owned by the city of El Paso, and are the same six streetcars that ran along downtown El Paso streets from the late 1930s until the system closed down in 1974.
DFW’s $2.7B Renovation Project Reaches Milestone Customers who visit Dallas Fort Worth International (DFW) Airport will be welcomed with a refreshed travel experience in Terminal A now that all customer-facing renovation work is complete. The opening of all terminal gates marks a major milestone in DFW’s $2.7 billion Terminal Renewal and Improvement Program (TRIP) to renew its original terminal buildings. Improved facilities include parking, ticketing, security and concessions, all designed to serve 21st century air travelers. The Terminal A improvements have added more space for
security, dining and retail, as well as technology enhancements to make travel through DFW easier and more enjoyable. “At DFW, we’re committed to putting our customers first with a personal travel experience, tailoring the ambience and technology to meet their evolving needs,” said Sean Donohue, DFW Airport’s chief executive officer. “Our team has accomplished what amounts to a remarkable makeover for Terminal A, turning a 43-year old terminal building into a welcoming, memorable space see AIRPORT page 8
The Terminal A renovation has updated a total of 26 passenger gates and two baggage claim areas and has expanded and updated three security checkpoints.