Barriere lands AASHTO accreditation

Barriere Construction’s Boutte Asphalt Division’s quality control laboratory, located at the Boutte, La., asphalt plant, has become the first Louisiana asphalt laboratory to be accredited by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.

The laboratory has met the rigorous guidelines set forth by AASHTO.

Accreditation is for AASHTO Designation R-18-08 – Establishing and Implementing a Quality Management System for Construction Materials Testing Laboratories, and ASTM D 3666 – Minimum Requirements for Agencies and Inspecting Road and Paving Materials.

Also included is accreditation for most of the tests run on hot mix asphalt and aggregate testing related to hot mix asphalt.

Barriere recently completed the same requirements for accreditation by an independent firm from Florida, Construction Materials Engineering Council. However, the Federal Aviation Administration did not recognize that accreditation on Barriere’s recent paving project at the South Lafourche Airport.

The AASHTO Accreditation is recognized in the U.S. and Canada.

The FAA requires all testing for their projects to be conducted by a laboratory accredited by a National Authority, such as AASHTO.

Also, The Louisiana Department of Transportation has started to visit all asphalt plants in Louisiana to prepare the contractors for the upcoming requirement that all the laboratory equipment used for their project be certified, in accordance with AASHTO R-18.

In order to keep the accreditation, AASHTO will send one of their representatives to the Barriere facility once every two years to review lab equipment and certification records, check Quality Management System records and witness the testing for each procedure.

Also, Barriere must participate in the American Materials Reference Laboratory Proficiency Testing Program.

VOA to design Naval Air Station buildings

The Orlando, Fla., office of VOA Associates Inc., architecture, planning and interior design, announced the firm’s commission to serve as designer of record for a design-build contract involving a series of public buildings at the Naval Air Station – Joint Reserve Base in New Orleans.

VOA, under contract with Walton Construction LLC of New Orleans, is providing architectural and interior design services for four buildings within the project, in partnership with Jacob Engineering - Carter Burgess, Fort Worth, Texas.

VOA Partner Ted G. Fery says the $56 million contract involves a total of 120,000 sq ft and includes a new medical entrance processing station, general adminstrative building, an applied instruction (band) building and a fitness center addition.

Construction on the Medical Entrance Processing Station was completed earlier this year, with completion for all remaining buildings scheduled for 2010.

VOA is a professional design services organization offering comprehensive services in programming, architecture, interior planning and design, strategic planning, campus master planning and technology integration.

Contractor completes I-12 interchange

Richard Price Contracting of Walker, La., has just completed the new I-12 Exit 60 interchange East of Hwy. 21 in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana.

Richard Price Contracting of Walker, La., recently completed the new I-12 Exit 60 interchange East of Hwy. 21 in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana.

On the south side of the new Pinnacle Parkway/Brewster Road interchange will be the gateway to Stirling Mandeville, the largest shopping center in St. Tammany Parish.

The north side of the interchange will serve as the entryway to the new Colonial Pinnacle Nord du Lac town center currently under construction.

Richard Price Contracting completed this project in record time and will receive a $300,000 early completion incentive bonus. The contractor will also receive an $85,774 bonus for the smoothness of the asphalt paving.

The asphalt bonus is credited to using the latest GPS automated machinery and to the expertise of the asphalt contractor, Barriere Construction.

This new interchange is expected to reduce traffic congestion in this area.

GROUP Contractors wins national safety award

GROUP Contractors of Baton Rouge, La., an industrial construction company, recently received a National Safety Excellence Award from Associated Builders and Contractors for the company’s commitment to safety.

(L to R) Bob Favret, Jack Donahue, Maura Donahue and John Donahue celebrate the company’s 30th anniversary.

The award was presented to GROUP Contractors’ representatives June 24 at the 19th annual Excellence in Construction banquet at the Renaissance Hotel in Washington, D.C.

The company’s pro-active approach to safety was a primary reason the company was honored with the award.

In 2008, GROUP created a program to educate and elevate the safety awareness of its employees and contractors about the hazards of pile driving to ensure safety on-site for a large construction project it was managing.

GROUP, working with the Industrial Safety and Training Council and other pile driving contractors, created a computer-based safety and training interactive course called Pile Driving 101 for on-site workers to receive additional safety training in piling.

The company also analyzed and revised its corporate safety manual to create a new and user-friendly version for all employees.

Wink Cos. acquires Willbros Group

Wink Companies LLC recently confirmed its acquisition by Willbros Group Inc. Wink is now the engineering component of InServ, Willbros’ downstream company.

Willbros Group is an independent contractor serving the oil, gas, refining, petrochemical and power industries, with construction turnaround, maintenance and related services.

Wink is a professional consulting firm, providing multi-disciplined engineering, project management and land survey services, primarily to the regional refining and petrochemical industries.

A. E. (Andy) Farris Jr. is president of Wink Cos., which will continue to do business as the same corporate entity.

Wink Companies is headquartered in Baton Rouge, La., with branch offices in New Orleans, Covington, La., and Biloxi, Miss.

DonahueFavret Contractors celebrates 30th Anniversary

Mayor Karl Dean with Dan Brodbeck, CEO and chairman of the board for American Constructors, Inc., at the 30th anniversary celebration.

DonahueFavret Contractors Inc. celebrated its 30th Anniversary on May 28. Employees toasted the event with a crawfish and jambalaya social at the company headquarters in Mandeville, La.

DonahueFavret Contractors was formed in 1979 when John “Jack” Donahue Jr. left his family’s construction firm to begin his own. Jack Donahue Contractors became DonahueFavret Contractors when Jack’s longtime friend Robert Favret joined in the company’s ownership.

Donahue leads the company as chairman and CEO, while son John Donahue III serves as president of the firm. Donahue’s wife, Maura Donahue, and Favret also share in the company’s ownership. The company specializes in healthcare, hospitality, retail and commercial construction and renovation and is licensed throughout the Gulf South.