Minnesota Dept. of Transportation officials have issued an urgent request for proposals for design-build teams interested in replacing Minneapolis’ I-35W bridge over the Mississippi River, the 40-year-old bridge that collapsed on August 1.

A design-build contract could be awarded as soon as early September, according to a news alert by Engineering News Record. On Friday, the U.S. Dept. of Transportation Secretary Mary Peters vowed that money will not be an issue for rebuilding the bridge.

Selecting a team on such short notice “is unlike any process that we have ever followed before,” said Bob McFarlin, MNDOT’s assistant commissioner. The contract will take into account qualifications, unlike typical low-bid projects the state usually procures, he said.

The agency already has selected Parsons Brinckerhoff to examine its inspection protocols and help speed up emergency inspections for the state’s ongoing bridge sweep.

High demand for highway construction means many contractors are carefully choosing the projects they bid, and state transportation departments are reporting a nearly 50% decrease in the number of bidders per project over the last four years, according to an article in this week’s Engineering News Record.

The trick for contractors is getting current projets to completion, given rising costs for asphalt, cement and labor. Asphalt prices are up 5% over last year, according to McGraw-Hill Construction Analytics/ENR, following a 42% increase in 2006 and a 10% hike in 2005. Likewise, concrete prices have been rising about 6% a year since 2005.

Suppliers who once offered 100-day price quotes on prices for cement and asphalt now will only commit to 30- or 60-day quotes. In an effort to keep projects moving along, state transportation departments are accepting fuel price escalation clauses and flexible start dates. Many, including the Missouri Department of Transportation, are turning to design-build delivery as a solution to cost volatility.

Wellspring Development Company has announced Rock Hill Trails, a new sustainable 170 acre residential development in Madison County, Illinois near Edwardsville and Wood River. All homes in the development will conform to the “Green Building Guidelines” of the National Association of Home Builders and will be eligible for LEED certification.

According to Wellspring, the development will feature “high performance homes,” open spaces with trails and nature corridors, and neighborhood amenities. The homes will be built in clusters that offer privacy as well as open space, interconnected walking paths and trails, community gardens, a community center and common space where neighbors can gather.

Lots will be designed to allow homeowners to add energy-saving and conservation features such as geothermal heating and cooling systems, cisterns to capture rainwater for irrigation and solar voltaic panels.

The lead builder is Belcher Homes, engineer is SMS Engineers and the architectural consultant is Answers Inc. Architects.

On Friday, the St. Louis Business Journal featured the partnership of three St. Louis companies - The Lawrence Group, SG Blocks and Alberici - to develop extremely sturdy homes and residential developments from recycled shipping containers.

According to Lawrence Group principal Dan Rosenthal, quoted in the article, the finished homes are stronger than conventional construction because they resist “lateral loads” — those seen in hurricanes and earthquakes — and because steel is basically welded to steel.” The homes also are energy efficient. “When the appropriate coatings are installed, we have an envelope that reflects about 95 percent of outside radiation, resists the loss of interior heat, provides an excellent air infiltration barrier and does not allow water to migrate in. Because of the superior roof structure, it is easier to incorporate ‘green’ roof systems,” Rosenthal said in the article.

The article is available online to St. Louis Business Journal subscribers.

Source: St. Louis Business Journal

The principals of St. Louis-based The Lawrence Group architectural firm and SG Blocks plan to recycle used metal cargo shipping containers into sturdy, attractive homes and housing developments. The recycled shipping containers are much stronger than traditional construction in a hurricane or tornado and are very energy efficient. Read more in the April 20 issue of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. And check out photos of the process at www.synergy-pr.com.

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Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch

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