Construction Reporter News

     More than $95 million in federal funds has been secured for the planning, design and construction of what is being called the Tornilla-Guadalupe International Bridge, which will provide a border crossing over the Rio Grande between Tornilla, Texas and Guadalupe, Chihuahua.

     The crossing has long been in the talking stage and vigorously promoted by government officials on both sides of the border. “There were many hurdles that we had to overcome to bring this new bridge here,” remarked Texas Representative Silvestre Reyes, who helped secure funding for the project, in a statement. “But I’m proud to see it get underway.”

     The new crossing, to be built on some 117 acres, will include a 6-lane bridge and crossing stations to be built along LEED guidelines. The bridge will replace the Fabens-Caseta Bridge, which was opened in 1938 but, according to officials, no longer capable of handling heavy traffic.

       The construction schedule for the crossing calls for the project to be completed by the early summer of 2013.

By Gary Boulard

• PROJECT SIZE: 117 acres
• PROJECT COST: $95 million

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Brian Qualls, new hire at Unique Lighting Systems as their Southwest District Sales Manager. The owners and staff at Construction Reporter send our best wishes to you in your new position!

Lawrence Quintana, new hire at Jack B. Henderson Construction as their Quality Manager. The owners and staff at Construction Reporter  send our best wishes to you in your new position!

       A project to widen state highway 47, which runs north and south through the town of Peralta, is under consideration depending upon the response of local residents.

     “We need your help,” Paul Lindberg, an engineer in charge of the project at the New Mexico Department of Transportation, remarked during a recent public meeting in Peralta.

     “We need to deliver a project to the town of Peralta that is a compromise that meets safety, drainage and the other needs.”

       The project has won the support of Peralta Mayor Bryan Olguin, and might include—although it has not yet been finally determined—raising the medium of the road.

The main focus of the work will be on widening the lanes of the road from 11 to 12 feet and creating a designated space for catching flood waters.

By Gary Boulard

• PROJECT ENGINEER: See Project Information

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     Money is currently being raised to pay for work to renovate two historic properties in Taos, the Blumenschein Home, built in 1797 and La Haciendo de los Martinez, built in 1804.

     Jennifer Hobson, of JH Media and a spokesperson for the campaign, says that the two adobe buildings have a variety of renovation needs, including the re-mudding of La Haciendo, which has an estimated price tag of $75,000.

     Both structures are regarded as important for different reasons: La Haciendo was one of the earliest trading posts in northern New Mexico. The Blumenschein Home was the residence of artist Ernest Blumenschein, who helped to establish the legendary Taos Society of Artists that helped to turn Taos into a national artistic destination point.

By Gary Boulard

• PROJECT COST: $75,000 to start

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       The movement toward establishing an ASU campus in Lake Havasu has gained momentum though the efforts of the Havasu Foundation for Higher Education, which has a fund-raising goal of $2 million.

     Some $1.2 million of that money is earmarked for the renovation of the former Dayton Middle School at the corner of Acoma and Swanson. In remarks delivered earlier this spring at Lake Havasu, ASU president said he wanted the project to be fast-tracked in time for the fall 2012 semester. “We’ll move as fast as possible,” said President Michael Crow. “We’re a very fast-moving institution.”

By Gary Boulard

• PROJECT COST: At least $1.2 million
• PROJECT ARCHITECT: See Project Information

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     A new public housing complex geared to address the needs of young people and couples is slated to go up at the site of the old Memorial General Hospital in Las Cruces.

       The hospital, which has been in the hands of the Supportive Housing Coalition of New Mexico, has been talked of as a possible future location for a veterans care facility. But the physical condition of the building has made any facility reconversion unlikely.

     “The idea is to create a 60-unit affordable housing project on the property,” says David Dollahon, neighborhood services administrator with the City of Las Cruces.

“That is only the first phase—the second phase remains underdetermined at this point.”

       Before the new project can be built, the old hospital will have to be demolished by the city.

     “We have had a determination that the property is not historic,” adds Dollahon, of the hospital which was opened for business from 1948 to 1972. That determination was made by the New Mexico Historical Preservation Office.

      The new building will be three stories. “The architecture of the building will be very modern, but still with the southwestern flair,” says Dollahon. “It is going to be a combination of studios and one-bedroom apartments.”

By Gary Boulard

• PROJECT SIZE: Not disclosed
• PROJECT COST: $350,000 for the abatement of the hospital; $7 million for the construction of the new housing facility
• PROJECT ARCHITECT: See Project Information

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      The Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. has announced plans to build a new store in Albuquerque near the intersection of Coors Boulevard and Montano Road, across the street from the Bosque School.

     The projected 98,000 square foot building will be Wal-Mart’s ninth store in the metro Albuquerque area. Because the number of people wanting to speak on the proposal is already in excess of 500, a public forum will be held in the Albuquerque Convention Center.

     “It is a multi-million dollar capital investment that we make when we build a store in a community,” remarks Delia Garcia, a spokesperson for Wal-Mart. “We are looking at how can we make the store the best possible to serve the community.”

      “There has always been a lot of interest in Albuquerque when a Wal-Mart is being built, particularly because in this case we will be near a school,” continues Garcia. “We know that many of those attending the meeting will be parents wanting to understand more about the project and process.”

     “The subject site has zoning that allows the proposed use,” remarks Russell Brito, the division manager for the City of Albuquerque’s planning department. “We have not yet received an application from them for review, but they have come in for pre-application reviews.”

     “Because of the size of the building, it does become subject to the large retail facility regulations. And that means that they have to have some facilitated meetings before they can submit,” continues Brito. “So right now they are arranging those meetings with the potentially affected neighborhood associations and based on the timeline they have expressed to us, we expect a submittal for planning commission review to come in next month.”

By Gary Boulard

• PROJECT SIZE: 98,000 square feet

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     After receiving comments, particularly during a public meeting earlier this spring, the City of Alamogordo is ready to begin work on improving the Fairgrounds Road between North White Sands Boulevard to North Florida Avenue.

      According to the city’s purchasing office, the price tag for what is officially called Phase One of the job is roughly $450,000 and will include the disposal of existing curbs, gutters and trench drain, as well as relocating an existing chain link fence, pipe rail and miscellaneous signage.

     The project also requires the construction of sidewalks, as well as the widening of the current Fairgrounds Road alignment between the intersection of North Florida Avenue and the parking lot entrance to the Jim R. Griggs Sports Complex.

      City officials would like to see work beginning on the project by late summer.

By Gary Boulard

• PROJECT SIZE: 50 yards
• PROJECT COST: $450,000
• PROJECT ENGINEER: See Project Information

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       Serving as both an arrival facility for private planes as well as a stopping off point for emergency planes, the Vaughn Municipal Airport in southwestern New Mexico’s Guadalupe County is sometimes subject to snowstorms.

     For that reason, airport officials asked the Federal Aviation Administration for money to build a snow removal equipment building. An FAA award in the amount of $355,368 for those purposes was announced earlier this month through the offices of New Mexico Senator Jeff Bingaman.

     On roughly 175 acres, the decade-old Vaughn Airport is only open during the day and has one runway with a length of nearly 1 mile.

     An airport official said work on the facility, which will house snow plows and shovels, among other things, is expected to begin this fall.

• PROJECT COST: $450,000

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