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Construction Dive’s Friday Punch List is a series dedicated to sharing the top building headlines that contractors may have missed during the week.
After a holiday weekend, construction saw plenty of major industry news this week.
Lock columns in a New York City The office-to-apartment conversion job prompted evacuations and emergency shoring work, and Turner Construction won a $282 million contract to build a field for a minor league hockey team.
But that’s not all. Read on for more news construction professionals should know.
San Francisco Bay Area Bridge to Get $107.5 Million Makeover
from San Francisco The Golden Gate Bridge was the center of attention for the area’s 4th of July celebration, but not for the right reasons. Fireworks launched from the stretch’s iconic towers were quickly shrouded in fog, and the bridge’s closure led to hours of gridlock.
Meanwhile, a lesser-known Bay Area bridge was gearing up for its own close-up. The Richmond-San Rafael Bridge It’s about to get a total makeover, according to Certified Coatings Company.
The Fairfield, Calif.-based company announced Monday a $107.5 million award from Caltrans to paint and repair the bridge, the largest award in the company’s history. CCC, a subsidiary of Hamburg, Germany-based Muehlhan Industrial Service, said it submitted the lowest of five competing bids.
The scope includes a full abrasion blast and repainting of navigation spans and 29 bridge towers over a 5.5 mile section. The two-story cantilever bridge carries I-580 across San Pablo Bay, connecting Richmond and San Rafael. Originally opened in 1956, it is one of the busiest and most structurally complex bridges in California, according to the release.
The work is CCC’s third project on the crossing to date.
—Joe Bousquin
Jacobs wins a multi-year contract to upgrade military facilities
The Naval Engineering and Facilities Command used Jacobs to provide architectural and engineering services for a Navy and Marine facilities in Washington, DC, Maryland and Northern Virginia, according to a company press release.
The Dallas-based company will plan and design new buildings as well as provide upgrades to existing facilities for the Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command in Washington. The scope also includes infrastructure improvements such as utilities, roads and site systems, according to the release.
Jacobs will deliver the work under an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity order contract. The company did not disclose the value of the contract.
“Jacobs has extensive experience supporting the US Navy and Marine Corps with military installations that are secure, reliable and built to operate in secure environments,” Susannah Kerr, executive vice president of Jacobs, said in the statement. “By improving the way these facilities operate and connect to essential infrastructure, this program will help bases meet today’s operational demands and adapt to future mission requirements.”
—Sebastian Obando
Skanska opens $94 million deal for Virginia data center
Skanska signed a $94 million contract with an existing customer build a data center in Virginiathe Stockholm-based builder announced on Tuesday.
The work is for a new building on an existing campus. The single-story, 190,000-square-foot facility will contain four colocation data rooms and electrical, mechanical, civil, telecommunications and security systems. The project has a designed capacity of 38.4 megawatts.
Skanska has built in the state before, winning a $242 million contract in 2024also from an undisclosed client. It is unclear whether the two projects are related at this stage.
In September, the contractor combined its data center construction team with its semiconductor group better cover the demand in both sectors. The aim was to create mobile groups of subject matter experts to extend Skanska’s technical expertise to the regions where it is built.
Work on the new work will begin in October and is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2028.
—Zachary Phillips
Balfour Beatty invests in venture capital funds
London infrastructure giant Balfour Beatty has invested 10 million pounds ($13.4 million) to Pi Labsa venture capital fund focused on the built environment, the contractor announced on Tuesday.
Pi Labs, which was founded in 2014 and is based in London, has made more than 100 investments spread across 15 countries, according to the announcement. It gives companies access to a range of early-stage startups in fields such as artificial intelligence, data and robotics.
Balfour Beatty plans to use the investment to improve the company’s access to emerging technology that could improve productivity, delivery safety, security and performance in its key infrastructure initiatives. By connecting Pi Labs with early-stage startups, the contractor will seek to find relevant innovations earlier and create targeted partnerships, according to the announcement.
“Our investment in Pi Labs will give us earlier access to entrepreneurs and technologies that could improve delivery, increase capacity and capability and create long-term value,” Balfour Beatty CEO Philip Hoare said in the press release. “This is a strategic investment in hands-on innovation, focused on the partnerships and vision our key markets need for years to come.”
—Matthew Thibault
