The American construction industry has demonstrated adventure, patriotism and daring, as well as creativity. Construction companies have built bridges across our country’s coastlines, harnessed rivers and cities, and even touched the sky. You can’t drive on the road today, take a subway, or ride a train without being exposed to the work of construction companies. These visionaries literally laid the foundation for America’s way of life and economy. Contractors across the nation are breaking ground every day on new structures. They’re also expanding and improving roads, bridges, and our nation’s transportation and commercial infrastructure.
Construction companies’ work is rarely recognized. Sometimes, however, construction projects are so massive in their scope or impact that they capture the attention of the entire world. This site features a selection of historic construction projects. These projects are a testament to the dedication, ingenuity, and courage of the construction companies who brought them into reality. The difficulties and dangers that the workers had to face, the challenges and new technologies developed by the construction companies are a testament to the American Construction Company and its place of honor in the development of our society.
Click on the following links to learn more about construction companies and their past construction projects.
CargoCentre ™III & AirFreight & LogisticsCentres ™ Complex – This four-building complex is the largest air cargo facility in the United States. The completion of the complex in December 2005 made DFW the first airport to offer a parking facility specifically designed for the Airbus A380 aircraft. Bob Moore Construction is the construction company that tackled this historic and challenging project.
Disneyland & Walt Disney World Up until the 1940s, American amusement parks were limited to merry-go-rounds and Ferris wheels. Walt Disney’s vision of a Theme Park, a new type of amusement park, changed everything. Disney’s innovations have re-energized the amusement parks of this country and created an entirely new approach to the development and construction of theme parks and surrounding areas. It all began when a father took his daughters to an amusement center and had a bad time.
Empire State Building The Empire State Building was constructed in just over 13 months. It is an engineering and architectural marvel, particularly for its time. It occupies a special place in construction history and the history of construction management. The 1453-foot-high, 103-story building was built in less than 13 months. However, the construction company that took on this daunting task allegedly had no supplies or equipment to complete the project. The way they completed the project is a great example of early and successful commercial construction management.
Hoover Dam– The Hoover Dam is a great example of a modern construction project that shows guile and creativity. Six Companies Inc. built the Hoover Dam, a consortium consisting of several commercial construction firms: Morrison-Knudsen Co. Utah Construction Co. J. F. Shea Co. Pacific Bridge Co. MacDonald &Kahn Ltd.
Interstate Highway System The Dwight D. Eisenhower System of Interstate and Defense Highways has been designated by the American Society of Civil Engineers as one of the Seven Wonders of the United States since 1994. The highway system has been a marvelous construction. The highway system is a great construction. It not only links the nation coast to coast but also helps to increase productivity in business. Since 1956, our country’s gross national product has increased tenfold.
New York City Subway System– New York City, at the dawn of the 20th Century, was the second largest city in the entire world. The majority of its population,3.4 million, lived in Manhattan, while Brooklyn, Staten Island, and Queens had a much smaller population. The public transportation at the time, including electric omnibuses, gasoline-powered trolleys, and elevated railways, was inadequate to get people from one place to another quickly and efficiently. Politicians had discussed the idea of an underground system for decades before deciding to build one in 1900. The $35 million bid from Interborough Rapid Transit Company was accepted.
Transcontinental Railroad– The story of the building of the Transcontinental Railroad during the 1860s celebrates the innovation and courage of the construction firms and workers. The Senate and House of Representatives adopted the Pacific Railroad Acts of 1862/64. These laws provided rights of way for building materials and a 20 million-acre land grant, as well as government assistance in the form of loans worth 60 million dollars.
CONSTRUCTION TECHNICAL BOOKS
Construction Company.com provides a variety of technical and white papers on various construction topics.
CIGNA’s Regional Offices Building: A phased construction schedule overcomes weather and an undeveloped job site– The scheduled completion date for the CIGNA Office Building was crucial. The initial plan was unrealistic due to 23% of construction days being lost because of the wettest spring in Texas history and the fact that the location of the building was undeveloped with no infrastructure. The paper discusses how the weather, an undeveloped site, and the initial schedule were a challenge. It also discusses how these challenges were overcome by a tilt-up construction method and a phased plan.
Mouser Electronics Delivering a Successful Project at a Location with Extensive Client Operations – The Mouser Electronics Expansion in Mansfield presented a unique problem: the 231,800 SF construction project was constructed in close proximity to hundreds of Mouser employees, and sensitive inventory and equipment worth several million dollars in the administrative and warehouse departments. This technical paper explains how we tackled the challenge of completing a large construction project while maintaining proximity to employees and ongoing business operations.