Awards & Accolades
1. Arizona State University’s Metis Center for Infrastructure and Sustainable Engineering selected ADOT’s Laguna Creek Bridge improvement as one the recipients of its 2019 Sustainable Infrastructure Awards. Faculty reviewed nominations from public, private, nonprofit and academic organizations on innovative approaches that advance sustainability in infrastructure.
Groundbreakings
2. Renovations will start Monday at Tempe City Hall. The architecturally unique inverted pyramid will get a new reception area, new restrooms, upgraded technology and audio systems, new seating and more efficient air conditioning, heating and plumbing systems. Dick & Fritsche Design Group and Core Construction are handling the renovations and construction will be complete in 2020.
3. I-40 Bellemont interchange west of Flagstaff, an Arizona Department of Transportation project, began construction on July 8. Drivers on I-40 can expect lane closures and a reduced speed limit overnights during this work, which is scheduled to be complete by year’s end.
4. Construction of Creighton University’s nearly $100M health sciences campus began July 8. Plaza Companies is the developer, and Okland Construction will be the general contractor for the first phase which is expected to be complete in the spring 2021. Butler Design Group will serve as the architect, and the conceptual and tenant design and improvement architect is RDG Planning & Design.
5. Compass Datacenters has begun construction of the first two data centers on its campus in Goodyear. The two buildings will deliver a combined 72MW of IT load, and construction is projected to be completed in Q4 2019.
6. Willmeng Construction announced a groundbreaking ceremony will be held on July 24 at 8:00 a.m. for the construction of the first administration building for the City of Maricopa Fire/Medical Department. Perlman Architects is the architect for the project.
Progress Reports
7. Heritage Academy is scheduled to open its Maricopa campus July 24, but the charter school is still under construction. Ten permits have been issued for the project, and there are 35 inspections yet to be conducted. A better timeline of completion will be established after steel is finished.
8. The Fry’s grocery store located on the first floor of the Block 23 development at First and Washington streets is set to open at the end of September. RED Development is the general contractor.
9. HonorHealth Sonoran Health and Emergency Center in north Phoenix marked a major milestone on July 10 by bringing together community members to celebrate the placement of the last steel beam atop the new three-story building. Once complete in late 2020, the new facility is expected to bring 200 jobs to the Valley in the first year.
Completions
10. Nikola Motor Co. is putting the finishing touches on its three-story, 200KSF Phoenix headquarters and research and development facility. The $75M building at 4141 E. Broadway Rd is a place for the hydrogen-electric truck company to show off its vehicles, design and test new features and designs, and manufacture limited production runs.
11. A $21M heating and power expansion project on Arizona State University’s Tempe campus is designed to handle the growth of the research and laboratory buildings for at least another 20 years has been completed as part of the university’s Carbon Neutrality Action Plan. Companies involved in the project include Rosendin Electric, Sun Devil Energy LLC, Clearway Energy and R.G. Vanderweil Engineers.
12. Sundt Construction, Inc. and joint venture partner Vastco recently completed the State Route 260 widening improvements between Cottonwood and Camp Verde west of Interstate 17 in Arizona.
13. Sundt Construction, Inc. and its joint venture partner Kiewit recently completed reconstruction of the Interstate 10 interchange at Ina Road in Tucson. Since January 2017, the joint venture team has worked to elevate the Ina Road interchange, widen I-10 and Ina Road, and replace the existing Santa Cruz River Bridge.
14. The Element by Westin hotel, the latest addition to the Arizona State University SkySong development in Scottsdale, welcomed its first overnight guests June 26. Plaza Cos. was the developer on the project.
15. The Residence Inn by Marriott, 10243 E. Hampton Ave. in east Mesa, opened July 9. The hotel, built and managed by Khangura Development LLC, is the first project to be completed on the 20-acre, multi-use, campus-style community at Crismon Road and Hampton Avenue called Grande Vita.
16. A program to replace the green grass turf with native desert landscape around Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport was completed in June, and is a step toward a more sustainable future for the airport—and the city.
17. The addition of Sonora, Antelope and Palo Verde apartments just west of 29th Avenue not only adds 1,800 beds to a booming on-campus population, it signals a new wave of campus culture. The apartments, designed by Suoll Architects, are 1,068 square feet with four bedrooms, two bathrooms and a shared living room and kitchen.
18. A ribbon-cutting for the State Route 347 Overpass will take place from on Saturday, July 13.