Author: BEX Staff

By Rebekah Morris for AZBEX The Town of Gilbert is the third-largest public agency in the state when considering capital programs, with the five-year total coming in at more than $2.1B. Only ADOT and City of Phoenix have larger capital programs. Not in the too distant past, Gilbert’s CIP budget was less than one-quarter of what it is today. As recently as seven years ago, the total five-year CIP budget was only $508.9M, which was roughly the same level for the four years prior to FY 2016. Fiscal years 2017 – 2018 – 2019 saw the Town’s CIP budget grow…

Kingman’s $7M Beale Street Infrastructure Project will go with a Construction Manager at Risk delivery method and not use American Rescue Plan Act funds to free up flexibility in executing the overall project. The change was approved in an Oct. 4 Kingman City Council meeting. Banicki Construction has been chosen as the CMAR. City officials said the change and adoption of a CMAR will allow more leeway in scheduling, phasing, cost reduction and other options to maximize the project’s processes and overall value. Work during the phased project will include narrowing Beale, adding sidewalks from First Street to Sixth Street,…

By Associated Builders and Contractors Associated Builders and Contractors reported its Construction Backlog Indicator increased to 9.0 months in September, according to an ABC member survey conducted Sept. 20 to Oct. 5. The reading is 1.4 months higher than in September 2021. Backlog reached its highest level since May 2022 and is once again above the level observed at the start of the pandemic (8.9 months in February 2020). Backlog in heavy industrial increased sizably in September, spurred by a 21.5% year-over-year increase in manufacturing-related construction spending. ABC’s Construction Confidence Index readings for profit margins and staffing levels increased in September, while…

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX There are any number of reasons magazines rarely take on Special Coverage projects. The amount of time it takes to write everything is massive, and the time spent in research is often several times the writing time. They take up a lot of space. While that’s not nearly as great a concern in the digital age as it was when we were printing everything, every page still has to be planned, prepped and laid out as seamlessly and efficiently as possible, which is another big outlay of time and talent. Those are really secondary considerations,…

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX The current half-cent Maricopa County transportation tax has its roots in the mid-1980s. Mayors around the Phoenix metro regions came together and decided to tax themselves rather than waiting on the state to change its transportation funding mechanisms or to expect the same kind of funding East Coast cities enjoyed under federal spending programs. The first iteration was focused toward the freeway loop system currently in place. In a video conference with AZBEX last month, Maricopa Association of Governments’ Transportation Planning Program Manager Audra Koester Thomas said that funding system is unique. “We don’t have…

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX The ease of transportation for both people and cargo is a primary driver for economic development and sustained quality of life for any area. While Arizonans in general and Greater Phoenicians in particular often complain about commute times, data from Best Places show the metro area’s average commute of 25.4 minutes is right on par with the national average of 26.4 minutes. The quality and flexibility of Maricopa County’s transportation infrastructure is the primary contributor to keeping that commute time manageable, particularly given the fact that the state’s population has swelled from 1.78 million in…

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX Gov. Doug Ducey’s July 6 veto of a bill that would have sent an extension of the Proposition 400 half-cent sales tax – a major funding source for Maricopa County transportation projects since 1985 – caught nearly everyone but the Governor, himself, by surprise. As we noted in our recent article on the ripple effects of impacts already being felt on the State Route 30 – Tres Rios freeway Project in the West Valley, HB 2685 was passed at the end of the Arizona State Legislature’s regular session and would have sent the tax extension…

Progress Reports 1. A new Nike store is partway through construction at Tempe Marketplace. The $1.6M tenant/landlord improvement project will combine 2.5 suites into one and replace portions of the existing storefront, among other changes. 2. Moontower – 24-story residential tower at 811 N. 3rd St. in Phoenix, recently held a topping out ceremony. The 452.5KSF, 326-unit tower is expected to deliver in the spring. Completions 3. A.R. Mays Construction announced it officially delivered the new Towne Storage – Southern in Phoenix in August. The 102.3KSF two-story self-storage facility features 711 interior and exterior accessed climate-controlled storage units, rental office…

By Arizona Department of Transportation The Arizona Department of Transportation is seeking public input on the latest update to its State Freight Plan, which identifies future improvements to the state’s transportation system that are critical to economic activity. The plan will help ADOT ensure the state’s freight system remains strong by providing an action plan to guide decisions and investments that support a safe, efficient, coordinated and reliable freight system for moving goods in and through Arizona. It serves as the guiding document for freight-related decision making by providing an overview of historical conditions, forecasting existing and emerging trends, and…

Plans by The New Home Company and Davis Development to build a mixed residential and retail project on 79.71 acres at the NWC of Power and Williams Field roads in Gilbert encountered opposition in a recent study session with the Town Planning Commission. The master-planned project features 851 apartments, 238 duplexes and single-family residences and nearly 105KSF of retail space. The developers have requested a General Plan amendment and rezoning for the site, as well as several deviations for building height, separations, open space and other issues. Planners were bothered several aspects of the project, including the reducing depth separations…