The Labor Day Bay Bridge celebration for the opening of the eastern span may be postponed. In the last few weeks, concern about issues with the Self Anchored Suspension Span (SAS) of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, and specifically the
Infrastructure Law Blog
Insights on California and national public works construction issues
The Infrastructure Law Blog, published by Hanson Bridgett LLP, focuses on legal issues related to public infrastructure projects and construction law. It covers topics such as public works contractor registration and compliance, prevailing wage enforcement, design-build project delivery methods, public-private partnerships (P3s), and legislative updates affecting infrastructure development. The blog also addresses regulatory changes impacting local agencies and special districts involved in water, wastewater, flood protection, and other public facility projects. Additionally, it discusses claims procedures for public works contracts and innovations in transportation infrastructure, including bicycle safety improvements.
Latest from Infrastructure Law Blog - Page 2
Demise of the “de minimis” exception to prevailing wage requirements?
The legislature is considering adopting a statute that would require workers on private projects to be paid prevailing wage if public subsidies exceed the lesser of $10,000 or 1% of the project cost. This would effectively eliminate the de minimis…
Amazing photographs of Transbay Terminal construction
Curbed San Francisco posted an article yesterday with a number of great photographs of the construction work in progress on the Transbay Terminal in San Francisco. I have not seen images this detailed before, and they are fascinating. Apparently, the…
Interesting article on “accelerated bridge construction”
This New York Times article describes a relatively new “accelerated bridge construction” technique using a self-propelled modular transport to lift a bridge into place. The article focuses on the River Street Bridge in Boston, but the technique is being used…
New law caps retention on public works projects at 5%
On October 9, 2011, Governor Brown signed SB 293 in to law. SB 293 addressed a variety of issues in public works related statutes, including prompt payment periods between a prime contractor and subcontractor, procedures for filing 20-day preliminary notices,…
Appellate court clears way for Presidio Parkway Project to move forward as a Public-Private Partnership
On August 8, 2011, the 1st District Court of Appeal broke new ground when it published a decision holding that Phase 2 of the Presidio Parkway project can move forward as a public-private partnership (P3). The Presidio Parkway Project is…
Interesting BIM video from Disney
I just came across this short video regarding Disney’s use of Building Information Modeling on the construction of their new Fantasyland. It demonstrates the benefits of BIM in a little over 3 minutes. Watch it here.
Ninth Circuit decision makes it harder to bring a Federal False Claims Act case
On March 24, 2011 the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals made it more difficult to bring a complaint claiming a violation of the Federal False Claims Act (FCA). The Court held that FCA complaints must not only “state with particularity…
Design-build gaining traction in the public sector
The use of design-build in the public sector appears to be growing. As more public agencies achieve positive results with this project delivery method, the legislature appears to be more comfortable with expanding the statutory authority. My colleague, Lisa Dal Gallo, and I recently co-authored an…
Doyle Drive project sued for impermissible use of P3 authority
The Professional Engineers in California Government, the union representing state engineers, has filed suit to stop the project to replace Doyle Drive, the 1.6 mile highway that connects the Golden Gate Bridge with the City of San Francisco. The lawsuit…