Stimulus: Commuter rail spurs jobs for Jacksonville company

[thelakelander]

Its nice to see rail spur jobs for a local company.  Maybe one day, these jobs can be spurred in our own metropolitan area.

Here we sit in apparent political blindness awaiting something, anything to happen with our own commuter rail plans in Jacksonville. Suddenly over the air comes the word that SUNRAIL the meaningless name for the Orlando Commuter Rail project will be built by a Jacksonville firm.

The bid was just awarded.

$163.28 Million dollars was the bid from Jacksonville based Archer Western Contractors/Rail Works, a partnership of the Parsons Transportation Group and TransSystems. There were two other bids which came in some millions higher. The work includes designing and building sections of double tracks along the rail corridor as well as building a signal system, concrete station platforms, several improved rail crossings and a control center in Sanford.

The project planners built in a give and take 15% contingency in the event the costs spiral above the estimates, as indeed they did. But in the case of our Jacksonville firm, it was only a difference of $5 Million, close enough for government work.

The Orlando Sentinel reports that: Archer Western likely will sign a formal agreement with FDOT in March and probably will start hiring staff in April. If SunRail wins the approval of the Legislature during the session that starts next month, FDOT will purchase 61.5 miles of tracks from CSX by June 30, with construction starting as early Sept. 30.

So Orlando? Is big Sister to the North jelous? Not at all, we'll gladly finance it for you, build it for you, even operate it for you over those previously Jacksonville/CSX owned tracks, but do it ourselves? Why we don't even know how to spell RALE.

Perhaps it boils down to the culture of two completely different cities. Orlando has lived in Fantasy Land since 1965, selling the dream outside of the box. Back in Jacksonville, we've been more then happy to make the bricks, stir the asphalt and haul it to the site, but we've never even seen Fantasy Land. From inside our glass towers, smokestacks and wharves, it's hard to even imagine the approach of a fast new train.


Time to pull our collective heads out!

this and more transit news at: http://jacksonvilletransit.blogspot.com/2009/02/jacksonville-will-build-orlando.html

[stjr]

Archer Western is also doing the I-95/I-10 interchange. Below is info about them, their parent company, jax office, and rail transit experience from the parent company web site:

Archer Western Contractors Firm Profile
Archer Western Contractors, a general contracting, construction management and design-build firm, was established in 1983 and incorporated in the State of Illinois. Archer Western is a subsidiary of The Walsh Group, a firm currently ranked among the nation’s Top 20 Contractors according to ENR. The firm performs as an open-shop contractor and is an expert in various building, civil and transportation sectors including wastewater and water treatment plants, rapid transit, highway and bridgework, educational facilities, warehouse/distribution facilities, offices, design-build projects, and more. In all of its years of construction operations, Archer Western Contractors has never failed to complete a contract. The company has invested over $450 Million in capital equipment and regularly employs over 4,000 engineers and skilled tradesmen.

A Team Approach
Delivering what it promises clients is a direct result of Archer Western’s superior management expertise. Every construction project is assigned a full-time project manager with the support of field superintendents and engineers and related accounting personnel. The management team is stationed full-time at the project site. Regularly scheduled progress meetings are held with all subcontractors at which the owner’s and architect’s attendance is welcome.

Parent Company
A Member of The Walsh Group

HEADQUARTERS
3715 Northside Parkway, NW
Building 100, Suite 550
Atlanta, Georgia 30327

CONTACT INFORMATION
Phone (404) 495-8700
Fax (404) 495-8701

WORK IN PROGRESS & UNDER CONTRACT: $1.8 Billion
AVERAGE ANNUAL REVENUES LAST 5 YEARS: $1 Billion

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The Walsh Group Firm Profile

The Walsh Group is a 110-year old, family owned business in its third generation of leadership providing general contracting, construction management and design-build services. The Chicago-based company maintains a national presence within the industry through twelve regional offices. The Walsh Group provides services through the operations of two subsidiaries, Walsh Construction and Archer Western Contractors, for labor relations purposes: Walsh Construction operates in union areas, Archer Western in right-to-work states. The Walsh Group is listed as the nation’s 15th largest contractor in ENR’s Top 400. The company has invested over $450 million in capital equipment and regularly employs over 5,000 engineers and skilled tradesmen.

Firm History
Walsh has practiced general building construction since its foundation in 1898 by Matthew Myles Walsh; the firm has been a family held business since that time. Walsh Construction was incorporated in the State of Illinois in 1949; in order to facilitate national expansion efforts, The Walsh Group and additional subsidiary Archer Western Contractors were founded in 1983. Neither The Walsh Group nor either of its subsidiaries has ever failed to complete a contract.

SUBSIDIARIES
Walsh Construction
Archer Western Contractors

HEADQUARTERS
929 West Adams
Chicago, Illinois 60607

CONTACT INFORMATION
Phone (312) 563-5400
Fax (312) 563-5467

WORK IN PROGRESS & UNDER CONTRACT: $5.7 Billion
2006 CONTRACT AWARDS: $3.8 Billion
2006 REVENUES: $2.9 Billion

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Jacksonville, Florida

The Florida Regional Office has been in operation since 1983. With an average of 100 full time employees, the office is capable of completing projects with varied scope, cost and the time requirements.

Contact Information
7775 Baymeadows Way
Suite 200
Jacksonville, Florida 32256
Phone: 904.739.7600
Fax: 904.739.7601

Project Name Location Contract Value
Boynton Beach Boulevard Bascule Bridge  Ocean Ridge, Florida $ 24M
Jensen Beach Causeway Bridges  Jensen Beach, Florida  $ 33M
I-10/I-95 Interchange  Jacksonville, Florida  $ 148M 
1-10/1-110 Interchange  Pensacola, Florida $ 73M
SR 80/I-95 Interchange  West Palm Beach, Florida $ 34M 
SR 80, Congress Avenue to West of Haverhill  West Palm Beach, Florida  $ 48M 
MLK Blvd/8th Ave. Interchange  Jacksonville, FLorida $ 8M
I-110, Maxwell Ave. to Airport Blvd.  Pensacola, Florida  $ 54M 
I-95, 45th St. to Blue Heron Blvd.  West Palm Beach, Florida  $ 73M 

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Rail Transit [experience]

Project Name Location Contract Value
DART Light Rail Transit System Extension  Dallas, Texas $ 364M
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport Automated People Mover  College Park, Georgia $ 132M
Sandy Springs Station and Parking Deck, Stage II  Atlanta, Georgia $ 83M
State & Van Buren Elevated Station  Chicago, Illinois $ 11M 
MARTA North Line Sandy Springs to North Springs  Atlanta, Georgia $ 140M
Castro Valley Station and Parking Lot Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART)  Dublin/Pleasanton, California $ 23M
Chicago and State Underground Station  Chicago, Illinois  $ 25M
MARTA Rail Services Facility  Atlanta, Georgia  $ 23M
Valley Metro Rail Line Section 3  Phoenix, Arizona $ 95M
METRA Rock Island District Bridges and Walls Bridgework Segment  Chicago, Illinois $ 87M

[thelakelander]

That's a pretty impressive resume.