Contract to Rebuild Pentagon Awarded

Hensel Phelps Construction Co., Greeley, Colo., has been awarded a contract, initially worth $145 million, to rebuild portions of the Pentagon damaged in the Sept. 11 terrorist attack, the Department of Defense announced Sept. 15. The contract continues the company's current renovation work of the facility, an 11-year project valued up to $758 million. "With the award of this contract we can begin immediate repairs to the Pentagon and make the necessary improvements that will keep it operational for the next 50 years," said Lee Evey, renovation program manager for the Pentagon. "The design-build approach has already demonstrated that it can succeed within this environment."According to the Department of Defense, the company will remove approximately 350 million pounds of debris, as well as demolish sections down to the concrete columns and floor slabs, and then rebuild the slabs, columns and the damaged area. The contractor is expected to begin design work at the end of this month. Completion of the entire renovation project is due December 2012.