Contracts for three projects cranking up at Denver International Airport have been combined into a single contract by a Denver council committee.
The proposed contract, which still must be approved by the full City Council, has a maximum ceiling of $350 million. It covers construction of the 500-room Westin Hotel; the public transit center that includes the RTD transit station and platform, conference center, security screening area, baggage-handling tunnels and concourse train extension; and the interface with the terminal.
Involved in the “tri-venture” entity will be M.A. Mortenson Co., which is building the hotel, and South Terminal Expansion Partnership (STEP), which involves Hunt and Saunders construction companies that are working on the transit center.
“The benefits are huge,” Stu Williams , the airport’s manager of the redevelopment program, told members of the council’s business workforce and sustainability committee.
There will be a single point of responsibility, cost and schedule predictability, administrative and construction efficiency and a higher percentage of minority- and women-owned businesses.
No additional money will be involved in merging the contracts, Williams said. About 500 direct construction jobs will be created by the three projects.
Ann Schrader: 303-954-1967 or aschrader@denverpost.com
