A $118-million “welcome mat” is taking shape rapidly next to Orlando International Airport. The revamp and expansion of the SR 528/SR 436 interchange includes seven new bridges, transformation of old loop ramps, new signage and lighting, and a striking landscaping design including staggered tree canopies and planter walls. “It will be a welcome mat for visitors,” says Laura Kelley, executive director of the Central Florida Expressway Authority. SEMA Construction holds the $106-million contract that was expected to take about 2.5 years and be completed by early 2023. However, the project is on track now for a summer 2022 completion. The contractor could win up to $2.7 million in incentives for completing the job up to 180 days early.
The upgrade is expected to ease congestion for some 50,000 daily vehicles moving between the airport and the region, which includes numerous tourist attractions and the convention center. “The four loop ramps built in the 1980s will be semi-directional flyovers,” notes Will Hawthorne, CFX director of engineering, noting that the project will add an additional lane in each direction of SR 528.

Photo courtesy Moss Construction

Unicorp National Developments Inc., and contractor Moss Construction recently held a ceremonial groundbreaking event for the developer’s St. Regis Longboat Key Resort and Residences project in Longboat Key, Fla. According to developer Chuck Whittall, the development has been more than eight years in the making. Featuring 166 luxury hotel rooms and 69 condominium residences, Unicorp says the St. Regis will be the first 5-star resort located on Florida’s Gulf Coast that includes residences. Construction for the project—which is scheduled for completion in late 2023—began at the conclusion of the groundbreaking ceremony. Other members of the project team include Power Design, SB Architects, Hirsch Bedner Associates, Marc-Michaels Interior Design and Enea Landscape Design.

Image courtesy Skanska USA Building

Skanska recently started construction of the Knight Recital Hall School of Music at the University of Miami Coral Gables. The approximately 22,700-sq-ft, two-story building will include a recital hall space with orchestra, stage, rehearsal hall space, a common area with practice rooms, lobbies and offices. Scheduled to be completed in winter of 2023, the recital hall will feature sound recording control booths, performance spaces and projection technology incorporated into the structure’s exterior. “Skanska is honored to have the opportunity to lead its third transformative project for the University of Miami,” said Michael C. Brown, executive vice president and general manager of Skanska’s Florida building operations. “We take great pride in knowing that we are building innovative projects for schools and universities that are forming the future leaders of our communities.”   The contractor’s previous University of Miami assignments include the Frost Institute for Chemistry and Molecular Science, currently under construction, and the completed Patricia Louise Frost Music Studios. The recital hall project, which began construction last summer, was designed by architecture firms H3 and Arquitectonica. The project is slated for completion in the winter of 2023. 

Image courtesy Skanska USA Building

Photo courtesy Robins & Morton

Following a virtual groundbreaking, Robins & Morton is ready to begin construction of the new AdventHealth Riverview Hospital in Riverview, Fla. The 282,000-sq-ft, four-story hospital will include 80 patient beds—with room to expand to 200 beds—and will provide emergency, cardiology, obstetrics and gynecology, labor and delivery, orthopedic and urology services for the fast-growing Hillsborough County community. “It’s not every day that you get to a build a new hospital from the ground up,” said Jason Newmyer, president and CEO of AdventHealth Riverview. “AdventHealth Riverview will ensure this community has access to high-quality care right in their neighborhood.” The new hospital, scheduled to open in spring 2023, was designed by HuntonBrady.