Balfour Beatty wins Denver Rail Project

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Balfour Beatty wins Denver Rail Project

Balfour Beatty Infrastructure has won a US$140m (£90m) two-phased contract to design and build the Southeast Rail Extension in the US city of Denver

The decision to award the contract was taken during this week’s meeting of the board of directors of Denver’s Regional Transportation District.

The Balfour Beatty team also includes Parsons Brinckerhoff, Capitol Management, Transit Safety & Security Solutions, Systems Consulting and Communication Infrastructure Group. The team’s proposal was described as offering the best value.

Design will begin during the autumn with construction expected to start in spring 2016. The construction phase is dependent on award of a full funding grant agreement from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA).

The Southeast Rail Extension will build an additional 2.3 miles of light rail on the existing Southeast Rail Line south of Lincoln. When the extension is complete it will include an end-of-line station at RidgeGate Parkway, plus additional facilities for parking, bus transfers and ‘kiss-n-ride’. In addition, two more stations will be added.

The current projected budget for the entire Southeast Rail Extension project is US$233.1m, including environmental analysis, preliminary engineering and design and the acquisition of eight light rail vehicles.

The remaining US$198.7m will be financed through a combination of federal, private and local funds. Half of the project will be funded by the FTA’s New Starts program, which supplies major capital grants to metropolitan areas; plus a sizable local match of 14 percent from private businesses and local governments in the southeast metro area; and 36 percent from RTD through local funding sources. The project has already been accepted into FTA’s New Start’s engineering phase and is included in President Obama’s FY 2016 budget.

Source and Link: Construction Index

Moving Abroad Checklist

Initial Considerations

Will your partner be travelling with you?

If so, what will they be giving up in your present home and will they be able to continue with their career in your new home? You will need to check whether a separate visa is required for your partner to work or if your visa gives that right. If they are unable to work you will need to decide on the effect on your finances and what alternatives are available to give a fulfilling life (home business, training, voluntary work).

Are you taking family with you?

Moving with family raises many exciting opportunities, but also can create challenges. The HSBC Expat Explorer survey indicates that expat kids can take six months to settle in to their new country (see article). Getting young or even older children to prepare to move and leave their friends and family behind can be a challenge and should be thought through.

The options for education is another area that needs to be thought through.

Moving your child to a new country with a different education system can be a great opportunity to broaden their experience, but if they are close to key exams the timing can make this inadvisable. If you do take your family with you, it is important to decide between joining the local school system or choosing an international school.

Where will you be living?

Whether you will be living in a house or apartment, furnished or unfurnished, these decisions will affect what you need to take with you. The time you are planning to live overseas will also affect whether you should leave your property at home empty, rent it out or sell it. See the article Sell, Store or Ship.