DALLAS – April 6, 2015 –McCarthy Building Companies, Inc., a Texas builder for 36 years, and the Tarrant Regional Water District (TRWD) recently received the Engineering News-Record (ENR) Best of the Best Projects 2014 award in the water/environment category for the George W. Shannon Wetlands project in Navarro County. Regionally, the project was awarded the ENR Texas & Louisiana Best Project, which qualified it for the national competition. The Best of the Best project awards identify the pinnacle of design and construction achievement in the United States.
“We are proud to have earned this award for our work on the wetlands project,” said McCarthy Texas Region President, Mike McWay. “To receive recognition for an environmental project that will benefit Tarrant Regional Water District’s 1.8 million customers is very rewarding and attests to McCarthy’s knowledge and reliability in the water and environmental services market. We enjoyed the collaborative experience with TRWD on this project and look forward to furthering our partnership in the future.”
Over the course of seven months and with more than 700 entries, judges worked together to determine the best projects of the year within 10 regions and 20 categories using five criteria: overcoming challenges and teamwork, safety, innovation and contribution to the industry/community, construction quality and craftsmanship, and functionality of design and aesthetic quality. The award recipients and their projects were featured in the March 16 issue of ENR.
“We are thrilled Engineering News-Record chose our project over so many other qualified candidates from around the country,” said David Marshall, TRWD’s director of engineering and operational support. “The innovative approach used to build this complex project is another example of the district’s willingness to think outside the box when building important water supply projects.”
The project used the “Construction Manager-At-Risk” model, which included having McCarthy participate in the original engineering design process. Because the project was being built in the Trinity River floodplain near Richland-Chambers Reservoir, this allowed McCarthy to better understand the potential flooding risks and schedule work during times when flooding was less likely. This construction model kept the work on schedule and helped avoid excessive costs caused by potential delays.
The $42 million project created 1,300 acres of wetlands near the Richland-Chambers Reservoir near Corsicana, Texas. It is the second largest constructed wetlands project built in the United States. The water reuse project diverts flows from the Trinity River and channels water through constructed wetland cells. Serving as natural filters, these wetland cells remove excess nutrients, sediment and other contaminants. The wetlands now encompass 2,000 acres, and play a vital role in helping TRWD meet the water demands of a growing population.
With more than $200 million currently under contract, McCarthy’s Texas Division continues to advance its reputation as a leader in water and wastewater construction in the state. In addition to the TRWD project, the division is also completing ozone facilities for water treatment plants in Fort Worth and Wylie, Texas.
McCarthy adds the Best Projects award to its growing portfolio of award-winning projects across numerous industries. Most recently, McCarthy was recognized for its work on the AT&T Performing Arts Center Box Office Pavilion and Marquees project winning the Pyramid level award in the Excellence in Construction Awards competition presented by the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC).
About McCarthy
McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. has been a community builder across America for more than 150 years and in Texas for 36 years, creating and developing positive working relationships with clients in a diverse range of markets. Throughout all phases of a project, from early integrated design phase services, through construction and after completion, McCarthy builders utilize industry-leading construction techniques and the most sophisticated technology to deliver the highest quality, job-site safety and ultimately, the best value. Repeatedly honored as a Best Place to Work and Healthiest Employer, McCarthy is ranked the ninth largest domestic general contractor (Engineering News-Record, May 2014) and is the leading healthcare and federal builder in Texas. McCarthy performs general contracting, construction management and design/build services for the following project types: healthcare, education, industrial, marine, transportation, water infrastructure, entertainment/hospitality, federal, parking, science and technology, and office. The firm has approximately 1,600 salaried employees with offices in Dallas, Houston, St. Louis, Atlanta, Collinsville, Ill.; Kansas City, Kan.; Phoenix; Las Vegas, Albuquerque, Denver, and San Diego, Newport Beach, San Francisco, San Jose and Sacramento, Calif. McCarthy is 100 percent employee owned. More information about the company is available online at the website or by following the company on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+.
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