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January 25, 2014 • Vol. IX • No. 2 • 470 Maryland Drive • Ft. Washington, PA 19034 • 215/885-2900 • Toll Free 800-523-2200 • Fax 215/885-2910
Inside
Work Surges Ahead on Quakes Stadium By Lori Tobias CEG CORRESPONDENT
JCB CEO Retires After 25 Years of Service. ..8
Talbert Hires New Sales Manager...8
After delays that twice pushed back the opening date of the San Jose Earthquakes new major league soccer stadium, work is again on track and surging ahead. And people are taking notice. “The road right next to the stadium, Coleman Avenue, is a busy road,” said Quakes President Dave Kaval. “When you see this steel superstructure coming up out of the ground, you can’t help but stare. We’ve had some people bumping into other cars because they were busy staring at the cranes. I’m sure there are going to be more of those.” The Quakes have been looking for a site for its own stadium for years, Kaval said. It currently rents from the Santa Claire University where the
team plays at the Buck Shaw Stadium. “We worked with city of San Jose to find a location that really fit the transportation and environmental needs,” he said. “But there are a lot of restrictions in the Bay area in terms of what you can build and where you can build it.” Then, the team came upon the 74acre site of defense contractor FMC’s former manufacturing plant. Across the street from the Mineta San Jose International Airport in northern San Jose with easy access to Caltrain and multiple freeways, it seemed a great fit for the soccer team stadium, but it was not, as it turned out, without its challenges. Construction began in February of 2013 with the demolition of the defense manufacturing plant. The site had been used since the 1940s to build see STADIUM page 30
Employment Varies From November 2012 to 2013 Calif. Bullet Train in Limbo...21
Table of Contents ................4 California Section .................. ......................................21-23 Business Calendar ............36 Paving Section ...................... .................................... 37-45 Auction Section ..........48-61 Advertisers Index ..............62
After delays that twice pushed back the opening date of the San Jose Earthquakes new major league soccer stadium, work is again on track and surging ahead.
Construction employment expanded in 211 metro areas, declined in 67 and was stagnant in 61 between November 2012 and November 2013, according to a new analysis of federal employment data released Dec. 31 by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials said the employment gains were encouraging, but cautioned that future gains were dependent on continued economic growth and new investments in aging domestic infrastructure. “Construction employment continued to expand in many parts of the country in November, but most areas have a long way to go before reaching prior peak levels,” said Stephen E. Sandherr, the association’s chief executive officer. “It will take many more months of strong economic growth and new investments in public infrastructure before many places experience construction employment levels close to their prior peaks.” Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, Ga. added the largest number of construction jobs in the past year (10,500 jobs, 12 percent), followed by Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, Calif. (9,100 jobs, 8 percent), Santa AnaAnaheim-Irvine, Calif. (8,200 jobs, 11 percent) and Tampa-St. PetersburgClearwater, Fla. (6,400 jobs, 12 percent). The largest percentage gains see EMPLOYMENT page 60
“When you see this steel superstructure coming up out of the ground, you can’t help but stare. We’ve had some people bumping into other cars because they were busy staring at the cranes. I’m sure there are going to be more of those,” said Quakes President Dave Kaval.
State Needs $170M to Finish 520 Bridge SEATTLE (AP) A design error is leading the state to deplete its reserve funds for the new Highway 520 floating bridge, and state officials said Wednesday they will need an additional $170 million to complete the bridge replacement. Lawmakers had capped the project budget at $2.72 billion, but state transportation officials
are now asking the Legislature to raise that to $2.89 billion. Washington Transportation Secretary Lynn Peterson said the agency doesn't foresee the need for new funding sources to complete the work at hand. The state has estimated that a pontoon design mistake, which led to cracks in the pontoons, see BRIDGE page 60