University of Michigan plans more than $1 billion in new construction projects

Posted by IronPlanet on Jun 7, 2012 2:51:00 AM

Business is booming for construction crews in the Ann Arbor, Mich., region, because the University of Michigan is spending more than $1 billion on nine new construction projects on campus, according to AnnArbor.com.

With the economic downturn forcing many to cut back on construction, it doesn't appear the University of Michigan slowed down at all. The college recently completed the new $754 million Mott Children's Hospital, the most expensive construction project in the school's history. Other aspects of the school that have been improved in recent years include the football stadium, law school, student dormitories and a new building for the School of Business.

The multi-million dollar projects have kept the local Washtenaw Contractors Association very busy, according to the news source. Jerry Schulte, the university's associate director for construction and design, recently spoke at the organization's annual meeting to discuss the school's plans for the future.

"We have infrastructure on campus that is continually [getting] old and needing to be upgraded," he reportedly told the crowd.

One major upgrade is coming to the school's main quadrangle, where the student dormitories are located. Previously, dorms on the North end of the quad were renovated, but the school wants to put construction crews to work on the South and West dorms as well.

Another major project is the retrofitting of the previous Mott Children's Hospital. Medical staff at the new hospital will use the massive space in the old building in order to house more patients, offices and equipment.

Other construction plans include a new nursing building, sports facilities for lacrosse and water polo, renovations to the fine arts building and new laboratory facilities.

Construction crews hoping to work on major projects need to ensure they have the right tools for the job. The online auction site IronPlanet offers a wide array of excavators, crawler tractors, wheel loaders and more, often at a more affordable price than buying new.

Topics: Construction, Industry Headlines