|
Southeast's Top Projects
Collective value of projects included
within this year's ranking is approximately $5.5 billion
By Fred Carr
Southeast Construction
presents its annual "Top Projects" report, a ranking
by contract value of the top 25 projects that broke ground
in 2004 within Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South
Carolina.
Together, this year's Top Projects list represents approximately
$5.5 billion of construction.
Our research team began by using reports generated by the
Dodge Division of McGraw-Hill Construction, as well as various
state transportation agencies, items previously reported in
Southeast Construction
and other sources. After assembling a preliminary list, we
followed up with contractors, architects and owners for the
latest information on their projects.
Every effort was made to obtain accurate and complete project
information, including verification with owners and general
contractors.
This year's list is a reflection of continuous and accelerating
population growth in the Southeast, coupled with efforts at
the state and local levels to either improve or build the
necessary supporting infrastructure.
According to a March 2005 report by the U.S. Department of
Commerce, coastal population growth is at an all-time high
with Florida and Georgia among the top three states, topped
only by California. The report points out that Florida has
increasingly become a "retirement magnet" and has
the largest state-to-state migration of senior citizens, mainly
from the Northeast to Florida.
By number, mixed-use projects dominate this year's list of
top projects. Consumer appetite for developments that offer
an upscale mix of residential housing and retail activity
appears to promise what could be a long-term building boom
for developers and contractors.
Condominium developments continue to spiral skyward, not
only along beachfronts but also in conjunction with downtown
revitalization programs.
Keeping pace with population growth and development, however,
is a major challenge for energy suppliers. In Santee Cooper,
S.C., two new generating stations are under construction,
totaling more than $1.4 billion. Meanwhile, in Florida, Progress
Energy is investing more than $2.3 million in new generating
capacity at its Hines Energy Complex.
Both of these power giants incorporated "green technology"
into the design of their generating stations. In the case
of the Hines Energy Complex in Bartow, Fla., the plant is
being constructed on environmentally reclaimed property and
includes restoration of sensitive water basins.
Progress Energy developed an interactive outreach program
with local civic leaders and educators to use presentations
of the plant's technology as teaching tools for energy awareness
as well as for science students.
The revived tourism industry, coupled with population growth,
necessitates steady infrastructure improvements. Hartsfield-Jackson
International Airport in Atlanta is the site of a massive
project that includes the construction of a new international
terminal and a state-of-the-art baggage screening facility
that together total more than $961 million.
Highway construction and reconstruction dominate the Southeast's
interstate highways. From North Carolina to Florida, major
projects include Greensboro's Western Loop, reconstruction
of U.S. Highway 74 in Robeson County, N.C., and the expansion
of Interstate 4 in Tampa.
Medical and cultural outlets are also prominent. Forsyth
Medical Center in Winston-Salem, N.C., includes a new women's
center and an increase of 100 beds in patient capacity. Meanwhile,
the Children's Hospital at Scottish Rite in Atlanta is adding
a new bed tower, parking deck and undertaking major renovation
of its existing facilities.
In Raleigh, a new convention center is the talk of the town.
Lack of competitive convention facilities, including lodging
and parking, is viewed as one of the primary reasons Raleigh
isn't among the top contenders in the Southeast to pull in
the lucrative convention industry.
Finally, as Southeast Construction
wraps up this year's list of top projects, military-related
construction appears to be on the rise, especially in terms
of government housing. At Fort Stewart/Hunter Army Airfield
in Savannah, Ga., the government awarded a $304 million contract
to Centex Construction Co. to build a community of multifamily
and single-family homes at the Army's largest base east of
the Mississippi River.
It is all part of the Residential Community Initiative approved
by the Department of Defense to accelerate fulfillment of
housing needs through the civilian building sector. Other
major contracts are under discussion as DOD seeks to improve
the quality of life for its service members and families.
|
print this page
e-mail this page
