Construction contracts

Balfour Beatty, the international engineering, construction, services and investment group, has announced that its US building business, Balfour Beatty Construction US, has won work that could be worth up to $560m (£373m).

In Dallas, Balfour Beatty Construction US has been selected, as part of a joint venture, to manage construction of a new hospital for the Parkland Health and Hospital System. The facility will replace an existing 55-year-old hospital, and, when complete, will be the largest hospital building in Dallas.

The $1.2bn programme will include a new acute care hospital, separate clinic building, office building, parking structures and other support facilities. Balfour Beatty’s share of the work will be approximately $250m. Construction is scheduled to begin in early 2011 and will be completed in 2014.

Also in Dallas, the company has secured a contract with the Dallas Museum of Natural History to serve as construction manager for the new $80m Perot Museum of Nature and Science in Dallas.

When complete, the museum is expected to attract one million visitors each year. The new 150,000ft² museum is scheduled to break ground in autumn 2009 and be completed in early 2012.

In Kansas, Balfour Beatty Construction US, in joint venture with Walton Construction, was selected by the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to provide preconstruction and construction services for a replacement hospital at Fort Riley, with an option for construction services that is anticipated to be awarded in September 2009. The new facility will replace the existing 50-year-old hospital and provide healthcare for the army base.

The project includes a 263,000ft² hospital, a 289,000ft² clinic, a central energy plant, an ambulance garage and supporting facilities. Construction is scheduled to begin in autumn 2009 and be completed by spring 2012. Pending finalisation of the contract in autumn 2009, Balfour Beatty’s share of the project will be approximately $230m.