News | September 17, 2009

Infrastructure Projects Of The Year Nominees Announced

North America Strategic Infrastructure Leadership Forum Senator Menendez, Governor Rendell to Speak

Washington, DC — The North American Strategic Infrastructure Leadership Forum has announced the nominees for Project of the Year awards, to be presented at next week's annual event in Washington, DC. The forum will bring together the brains behind the 100 most important infrastructure projects in North America and honor the most outstanding.

According to U.S. Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ), "The Leadership Forum helps increase the level of understanding between policy makers and the leaders of today's most important infrastructure projects — and in that way assures that the public and private sectors work together efficiently to rebuild our country's strategic infrastructure." Senator Menendez will be the opening keynote speaker at the event.

"The Forum brings the most important infrastructure projects in North America to Washington — representing nearly $400 billion in new investment and having the potential to put 6 million people to work — and the Project of the Year awards recognize those projects that are leaders in their class", said Norman F. Anderson, President & CEO of CG/LA Infrastructure.

The Leadership Forum will be held from September 22nd to 24th at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, DC. Governor Ed Rendell of Pennsylvania will also be delivering a keynote address.

For a full agenda of conference please visit: http://cg-la.com/images/NALFForum/nalfagendaeng.pdf

Below are the nominees for Project of the Year awards:

1. Opportunity/Job Creation Project of the Year
Infrastructure is an extraordinary job creator, therefore the winning project will be the project designed to create the most direct and indirect jobs — as well as the greatest opportunities for local businesses over the next 3-5 years. The project will be visionary in terms of its job creation potential. The project nominees are:

  • ARC Tunnel, New Jersey, $8.7 Billion
  • O'Hare Modernization, Illinois, $10 Billion
  • Alaskan Way Viaduct, Washington State, $4.3 Billion

2. Competitiveness Project of the Year
Given that infrastructure generates enormous economic competitiveness and that North America shows a long-term trend for underinvestment in infrastructure, this award seeks the project which contributes most to the region's capacity for global competitiveness. The project nominees are:

  • National Gateway, Regional, $750 Million
  • Crescent Corridor, Regional, $2 Billion
  • KCS North American Railway, Regional, $80 Million

3. Engineering Project of the Year
This category will award the project that best demonstrates the professional excellence of North American engineering, focusing on challenging projects that will generate 20-30 years of enhanced competitiveness. The project nominees are:

  • Alaskan Way Viaduct, Washington State, $4.3 Billion
  • Zapotillo Aqueduct, Jalisco, Mexico, $385 Million
  • ARC Tunnel, New Jersey, $8.7 Billion

4. Finance Project of the Year
The prize will be awarded to the project that has been able to best channel multi-source funding into its structure, creating a replicable model for North America. The project nominees are:

  • Dulles Corridor Metrorail, Virginia, $5.25 Billion
  • I-495 HOT Lanes, Virginia, $1.4 Billion
  • I-595 Corridor, Florida, $1.8 Billion

5. Green/New Infrastructure Project of the Year
This category highlights the project that promises a new level of leadership in terms of the design and/or financing of Green/New Infrastructure projects. The winning project, and its sponsors, will have designed a project that will provide a roadmap forward. The projects are:

  • Energy Efficiency Bonds Market, Mexico
  • Empire State Building Modernization, New York, $20 Million
  • Sunrise Power, California, $1.9 Billion

The North American Strategic Infrastructure Leadership Forum — "Imagination, Competitiveness & Opportunity — Building North America 2025"
CG/LA Infrastructure LLC, the world leader in strategic infrastructure project identification and development, created the Leadership Forum in order to increase the quality and velocity of infrastructure project development — by bringing project sponsors together with key players including: public policy/political decision-makers; financial executives; engineering/construction firms; and equipment/technology firms. The North American Leadership Forum will host more than 50 discrete presentations, a series of high-level keynote speakers, trend-spotting panel presentations, 5 workshops, and more than 2,500+ pre-scheduled private meetings. Detailed project descriptions are available on the Leadership Forum website: http://www.cg-la.com/nalf.

Featured Speakers to Include:

  • Pierce Homer, Secretary of Transportation VDOT
  • Kathy Baczko, NYC City Director Clinton Climate Initiative
  • Sam Carnaggio, Project Director Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority
  • Matt Cohen, RTD Director Regional Transportation District Denver
  • Jeff Keever, Senior Deputy Executive Director - Virginia Ports Authority
  • Rick Kendrick, Chief of Program Execution - Army Corps of Engineers' Hurricane Protection Office
  • Patrick Lee, Senior VP - San Diego Gas & Electric
  • Mike Madden, Project Manager - MD Transit Administration
  • Ron White, AWV, Program Director - WSDOT
  • Aaron Reardon, Vice Chairman - Sound Transit Board (WA)

SOURCE: CG/LA Infrastructure