Expansions, roads and New Urbanism among Virginia's top construction projects

Virginia Business
October 2005

Woodrow Wilson Bridge
Virginia and Maryland: $2.4 billion
The dredging is done, and foundation work is finally finished on this seemingly endless project. Approaches to the bridge from both the Maryland and the Virginia sides are under construction. And the bones of the bridge are rising out of the water. Various contractors.

Infineon Technologies
Henrico County: $1 billion
After four years of delays because of market conditions, semiconductor chip manufacturer Infineon Technologies has broken ground on an expansion that will allow its Sandston plant to produce a new line of 300 millimeter silicon wafers. Already one of the area's largest private employers, the expansion is expected to create 800 new jobs.

Springfield Interchange
Fairfax County: $676 million
Only two more years before the dreaded Mixing Bowl at the juncture of Interstates 495, 395 and 95 is untangled for a smooth ride. The seven-phase project spans eight years of construction on the Springfield interchange to eliminate the accidents and traffic hazards posed by three major highways coming together. The new interchange will be able to handle more than a half-million vehicles a day. Lead contractors: Shirley Contracting Corp. and Lane Construction.

APM Terminals / Maersk Inc.
Portsmouth: $450 million
Construction is under way on the country's first privately developed container terminal. The facility will provide more than 4,000 square feet of berth space. It will have its own interstate exit and is expected to boost Hampton Roads as a leading East Coast port. Built by APM Terminals, the project is on course to be completed by the fall 2007. Company would not comment on contractors.

The Town Center of Virginia Beach
Virginia Beach: $400 million
Construction continues on this 17-block mixed-use project in Virginia Beach's emerging business district. With 968,000 square feet of Phase I completed, the focus is now on Phase II, expected to be finished in early 2006. When all phases are finished in 2007, the center will include 832,500 square feet of retail, 800,000 square feet of class A office space, and 600 residential units. With restaurants, a proposed Westin Hotel in the plans and a performing arts center, Town Center is expected be an icon for the New Urbanism movement. The developer and general contractor is Armada Hoffler.

City Center at Oyster Point
Newport News: $300 million.
With completion of Fountain Plaza I, the 42-acre, mixed-use office park added 1,100 parking spaces and more than 100,000 square feet of office space in a 10-story tower. When this 52-acre comprehensive downtown district is completed in 2009, it will include a quarter-million square feet of retail and entertainment space, 600 residential units, and eight acres dedicated to a landscaped park. Various contractors.

Philip Morris Research and Technology Center
Richmond: $300 million.
The Virginia Biotechnology Research Park in the center of downtown scored its biggest coup when the tobacco giant decided to construct a research and development facility there. The project will nearly double the size of the 575,000-square-foot park, housing more than 500 scientists, engineers and support staff. Scheduled to open in 2007, the center represents Philip Morris's biggest capital investment since the 1980s. General contractor: Hourigan Construction. Animated flyby view (.avi movie file courtesy of Philip Morris).

Rocketts Landing
Richmond: $250 million
This 45-acre village along the banks of the James River will provide a place where residents can live on the water and be close to downtown. Work began this summer on the project, which will include 1,400 residential units (town houses, condos, and apartments), 500,000 square feet of office space, and 200,000 square feet of retail space. The project includes a marina and a dock. Various contractors.

Waterview
Arlington: $227 million
Construction began in April on this mixed-used development on the Potomac. It will house 24 stories (for a total of 600,000 square feet of office space), a 220-room luxury hotel, and 60 condos. At 300 feet, the towers are twice the height of those permitted across the river in Washington. The Corporate Executive Board, which provides best practices research and analysis on corporate strategies and operations, will move its headquarters to the building. The architect is Pei Cobb Freed & Partners.

VCU Medical Center expansion
Richmond: $225 million
A new 16-level critical-care hospital is going up adjacent to Virginia Commonwealth University's existing main hospital. The $160 million project is part of an expansion that also includes a new $17 million nursing school, a $30 million addition to the Massey Cancer Center and an $18 million parking deck. The 365,000-square-foot hospital is scheduled to be ready for operation by 2007.

Virginia Beach Convention Center
Virginia Beach: $202 million.
With the recent completion of Phase I — including a 31,000-square-foot ballroom — the beach city's nautical-themed center is open for business. Phase II is under way and when completed in 2007 will offer more than 500,000 square feet, nearly triple the size of the old Virginia Beach Pavilion it's replacing. The most expensive public project in the city's history, the new center is expected to draw larger conventions, positioning Virginia Beach as a year-round resort. Construction manager: Turner Construction

Coors Brewing Co.
Elkton: $200 million
The foundation is laid, concrete and steel are going up, and brewing equipment is being delivered. Since breaking ground late last year, Coor's Shenandoah brewery project should begin pumping seven million barrels of beer a year by the end of 2006 at its third U.S. brewery. General contractor: Jacobs Engineering.

Virginia Capitol Square
Richmond: $200 million.
Construction and renovations began two years ago on three of the four buildings slated for overhaul by 2007. The Patrick Henry building, formerly the home of the Virginia State Library and Virginia Supreme Court, is the first of three buildings in the Capitol complex to be completed and will serve as temporary chambers for the House and Senate in 2006 while the Capitol building undergoes renovations. Meanwhile, construction continues on a 27,000-square-foot extension under the south lawn for a visitors' center, gift shop, multipurpose rooms and exhibit and museum space. Primary general contractor: Gilbane/Christman

Route 28
Fairfax and Loudon counties: $200 million.
Six interchanges are being replaced with high-capacity interchanges to ease the flow of traffic. Improvements began in 2002 on this public/private venture with Clark Construction Group and Shirley Contracting. Completion is scheduled for late 2006. Various contractors.

Westminster Canterbury expansion
Richmond: $153 million.
One hundred-eighty-eight new courtyard apartments are ready for occupancy in this multiphase expansion, which offers graduated care for elders. Called "The Next Chapter," the expansion includes a 92,500-square-foot Center for Creative Living featuring meeting rooms, woodworking shop, areas for the creative arts, and 22 detached two-story, single-family homes. General contractor: W.M. Jordan Co.

*USG Corp. (U.S. Gypsum)
Norfolk: $132 million expansion.
The leading manufacturer of building materials for construction and remodeling is doing some construction and remodeling of its own. A Virginia presence since 1947, USG — a $4.5 billion Fortune 500 company — considered a move to Maryland or South Carolina before deciding to expand and update its Norfolk facility. When the expansion is completed next year, the plant will able to churn out 750 million square feet of wallboard each year, nearly 180 percent more than the existing facility.

John Paul Jones Arena
Charlottesville: $129.8 million.
Replacing the old University Hall at the University of Virginia, this basketball arena will have 2,500 tons of steel holding it together when it is finished next year. The largest of its kind between Washington, D.C., and Raleigh, N.C., JPJ will accommodate large-scale events, such as concerts and graduation ceremonies. The roof is done, and the seating bowl is almost ready for 15,000 seats, nearly doubling U-Hall's seating capacity. General contractor: Barton Mallow

The Power Plant at Hampton Roads
Hampton: $129 million.
Although this project hasn't moved as quickly as hoped, last year's opening of Bass Pro Shops of Hampton renewed excitement for this 107-acre mixed-use retail/entertainment complex visible from I-64 near the Mercury Boulevard exit. Various contractors.

Coliseum Central Highway
Hampton/Newport News: $105 million.
Beach goers should know this project well. It has caused four years of logjams, bottlenecks and 45 mile-an-hour speed limits as workers broadened and improved this 2.5-mile stretch of I-64 leading up to the Hampton Roads Tunnel. New ramps, flyovers and more lanes will ease the congestion that nearly 140,000 commuters have endured since 2001. In addition to new asphalt and concrete on every inch of the stretch, seven bridges will have been built, replaced or improved when it's completed next August. Primary contractor: E.V. Williams

James Hardie Building Products
Pulaski: $98 million
Attracted by rail accessibility and availability of utilities, the international manufacturer of fiber-cement siding chose Pulaski over cities in North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee for the site of the world's largest exterior siding and backer board products. Construction began earlier this year, with expectations of a 2007 completion for the plant. The facility will bring new jobs to the area. General contractor: Casey Industrial