Author: BEX Staff

Source: Arizona Department of Transportation  The Arizona Department of Transportation has been granted environmental approval to move forward with plans to improve the US 93/I-40 traffic interchange in west Kingman.  ADOT issued a Finding of No Significant Impact after completing a Final Environmental Assessment for the project, which was prepared in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act. The Final Environmental Assessment includes comments from the community received through the public hearing. The document is posted at azdot.gov/WestKingmanTIP.  The improvements to the traffic interchange include a free-flowing direct connection between US 93 and I-40, designed to reduce congestion and improve traffic flow. Currently, traffic switching between…

By David A. Blake for GlobeSt.com  Those entering into new construction contracts should include custom language addressing the parties’ respective rights and responsibilities related to COVID-19. Many articles and webinars have focused on how traditional contract clauses in existing contracts may respond to COVID-19 issues. The fit is not always clear. Some guesswork is involved and creativity is called upon as square pegs are coaxed into round holes. While there is a need to perform that retrospective analysis to assess how COVID-19 issues will play out under existing contracts, there is no need to propagate uncertainty in new contracts. Uncertainty can cause parties to shy away from new…

Awards & Accolades  1. Three of the state’s major freeway and highway projects have earned regional awards from The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. These projects will now be considered for selection as one of the “Top 12” in the national competition sponsored by AASHTO, AAA and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. They are:  Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway, First Place in Best Use of Technology & Innovation, Large Project  Interstate 10/State Route 87 Improvement Project, including Dust Detection, First Place in Operations Excellence, Medium Project  State Route 347 Overpass at Union Pacific Railroad, First Place in Quality of Life/Community Development  Groundbreakings  2. Gila River…

By Tasha Anderson for AZBEX  The City of Flagstaff has issued a Request for Qualifications for a firm to provide Design-Build services for the design and construction of an overpass in central Flagstaff.  According to the issued RFQ, the city is looking for services including, project design, agency/public coordination, budget control/value engineering and construction services.  The project, called the Lone Tree Overpass Project, will be a bridge overpass that will be an extension of the existing Lone Tree Road, from Butler Avenue to Route 66.  According to the documents associated with the RFQ, an alternatives study was completed in 2010 the city had three…

Budget, Policy & Stimulus News  $730M Coming to 90K Displaced Ariz. Workers  Nearly 100,000 Arizonans who have lost jobs during the pandemic are about to finally receive thousands of dollars each in jobless benefits, according to the Department of Economic Security. DES Director Michael Wisehart said the department has verified 90,000 applications to the “pandemic unemployment assistance,” or PUA, program that provides jobless pay for contractors, self-employed and other people who don’t qualify for regular unemployment insurance. (Source: AZCentral)  Hotel Leaders Pleading for Relief  Hotel industry leaders are calling on Congress to pass bipartisan legislation to assist the industry, as a new report predicts a historic number of hotel foreclosures…

By Wayne Schutsky for Scottsdale Progress  Scottsdale has reached a preliminary agreement with Axon to reimburse the body camera manufacturer over $9M in infrastructure costs and other expenses connected to the planned expansion of its headquarters in Scottsdale.  The deal will go before City Council and is likely to face the same pushback from critics who opposed a similar deal with Nationwide in 2018.  Axon, formerly known as Taser International, was founded in Scottsdale in 1993 and has its eyes on a 74-acre parcel of Arizona state trust land near Loop 101 and Hayden Road to expand its nearby headquarters.  The land, which will go to auction…

Source: Arizona Department of Transportation  The Arizona Department of Transportation has finalized the Disparity Study report and the Federal Highway Administration Overall Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Goal and Methodology for federal fiscal years 2021-2022.  Based on the results of the Disparity Study, which took into consideration comments and input from the public, ADOT will adopt a 12.89 percent DBE goal for federal fiscal years 2021 through 2023 for FHWA-funded contracts; 8.17 percent of which is expected to be accomplished through race- and gender-conscious means (DBE contract goals) and the remaining 4.72 percent to be accomplished through race-neutral means (ADOT outreach, training and program efforts). The goal will be submitted to FHWA…

Awards & Accolades  1. Paul Johnson Drywall, Inc. announced that it was named to Walls & Ceilings Magazine’s 2020 Top 50 Contractors list for the sixth consecutive year and is the only drywall contractor with a presence in Arizona and Nevada to make the list.  2.The 2021 edition of Best Lawyers in America includes the following Withey Morris attorneys and practices:  William Allison – Government Relations Practice and Land Use and Zoning Law  Adam Baugh – Land Use and Zoning Law  Jason Morris – Land Use and Zoning Law  Benjamin Tate – Land Use and Zoning Law – “Ones to Watch” award  Michael Withey – Land Use and Zoning Law and…

Sales Transactions  1. An unnamed institutional buyer purchased a 50.4KSF Target-occupied building at 1625 Camelback Road, Phoenix, for $20.3M. Newmark Knight Frank Net Lease Capital Markets Executive Managing Director Matt Berres and Director Samer Khalil, in cooperation with Managing Director David Guido, represented the seller, an affiliate of Menin Development, Inc., and procured the buyer.  2. SB Real Estate Partners purchased Verona Court, a 141-unit community at 17646 N. Cave Creek Road, Phoenix, for $20M. Institutional Property Advisors, a division of Marcus & Millichap, brokered the transaction. Executive Directors Cliff David and Steve Gebing represented the seller, A partnership between Dalan Management and VM Management, and procured the buyer.  3. A private investor purchased Safeway Center at Lake Powell, a 100.5KSF Safeway-anchored shopping…

By Tasha Anderson for AZBEX  Ross Aviation Operations, LLC, a Fixed Base Operator (FBO) with locations throughout the United States, is looking to develop a new hangar building at the Scottsdale Airport located at 14600 North Airport Drive.  Architect and applicant, DWL Architects + Planners, Inc., on behalf of Ross Aviation, submitted documents to the City of Scottsdale on August 4th and is requesting approval of the site plan, landscape plan and building elevations for the project, known as the Ross Aviation SDL Hangar.  The project will consist of a 64KSF hangar building comprised of two, 28KSF hangar bays and two, 3KSF shell office spaces. According…