This morning’s announcement from Allegheny Health Network is but the latest in a string of major construction project announcements over the past few months. Unlike some of the other, however, the AHN projects should be moving quickly. For contractors trying to maintain capacity (and build backlog) ahead of the growing wave of construction coming in 2018 and beyond, that’s welcome news.
The details: a new 160-bed hospital will be built in Pine Township next to the Highmark Wellness Pavilion in Wexford. That project, which should run $300 million, is slated to start in mid-2018. AHN expects to put out RFP’s for design and construction management within a few weeks. AHN also announced a partnership with Emerus, a Dallas-based developer/operator of “micro-hospitals” to build community hospitals throughout the AHN footprint. There will be four such micro-hospitals initially, one each in the north, south, east, and west suburbs. In other similar markets, Emerus facilities have been in the 40,000 square foot range.
The AHN program amounts to a $700 million expansion of its facilities. Some of that expansion includes projects already awarded, including the new cancer center in Butler, which was awarded to the design/build team of Mascaro and Stantec.
Another wave that is building is the follow on to Shell’s cracker, under construction in Beaver County. Multiple plastics companies have been in the market looking for sites for new manufacturing plants of between 60,000 sq. ft. and 150,000 sq. ft. At Starpointe, near Burgettstown, Scannell Properties has begun work on a 507,000 sq. ft. distribution center, which is rumored to be for Shell. ARCO/Murray National Construction is building that facility. In other logistics news, Al. Neyer has begun construction of a 220,000 sq. ft. Class A distribution center in Jackson Township near Zelienople and a major retailer is reported to be looking for a site for a million sq. ft. distribution center in Western PA.
In other project news, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh awarded a contract to Massaro Corporation for its $3 million Carrick Branch. Landau Building Co. was selected by WVUH for the $3 million Ruby Hospital OR. PennDOT awarded Beaver Excavating an $87 million contract for the next phase of the Southern Beltway.
What type of plastic companies are looking in the area?
Am told these were finished goods manufacturers. That’s a little surprising because it’s still four years from Shell producing the PE pellets and because finished goods (whether consumer or business use) seemed to be less likely to locate here than converters and compounders.