CONTRACT AWARDED FOR NEW DRISCOLL BRIDGE WORK
The New Jersey Turnpike Authority has awarded a $100.3 million contract to Conti Enterprises of South Plainfield for the second half of the reconstruction of the Alfred E. Driscoll Bridge on the Garden State Parkway over the Raritan River. As part of the first phase, a new seven-lane span was built alongside two existing spans and opened in May 2006.

The new contract is for replacing the bridge decks and much of the steel beneath them, building a new median and installing new lighting on the two older spans. A $5.8 million professional services contract was awarded to Parsons Brinckerhoff Construction Services, Inc., of Princeton for supervising the project. The work is expected to take about 30 months to complete.

TRUMP PLANS $250 MILLION NEW HOTEL TOWER AT TAJ MAHAL
While Atlantic City is buzzing with speculation about the possible return of Steve Wynn, Donald Trump will build a major expansion of the Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort. A $250 million 40-story hotel tower will be an addition to the 15-year-old Taj Mahal.

The site has been cleared and Trump expects to complete the new tower in the summer of 2008. Its 786 rooms will bring the hotel’s size to a total of 2,036 rooms. Trump Entertainment Resorts previously had announced a $110 million renovation plan, which will include remodeling Trump Plaza’s casino floor and the opening of new restaurants and retail stores at the Taj Mahal.

PRIVATE FIRMS BID TO PURCHASE HARRAH’S
Two private equity firms have offered to buy Harrah’s Entertainment, the world’s largest gambling company and the biggest operator in Atlantic City. Apollo Management and Texas Pacific Group have offered Harrah’s $81 a share, a total of some $15.1 billion.

Harrah’s said its board of directors has established a special committee to review the bid, but that the committee “has not determined that a transaction is in the best interest of Harrah’s and its stockholders or that Harrah’s should not continue as an independent public company.”

NEW SHOPS COMING TO OLD BOY SCOUTS SITE IN NORTH BRUNSWICK
A new high-end development, The Shoppes at North Brunswick, is coming to the long-vacant Boy Scouts of America site at the intersection of Route 1 and 130. The so-called “lifestyle” center will feature stores such as Talbots, Gap and Ann Taylor Loft, restaurants and Starbucks Coffee.

Stanbery Development of Columbus, Ohio, expects the center to open in the fall of 2007. It said traffic and demographic studies anticipate that the center would be successful in an affluent market and would not impact traffic flow. The site has been empty since the Boy Scouts moved its headquarters to Irving, Texas 25 years ago.

FEDERAL GRANT TO HELP RETAIN FORT MONMOUTH EMPLOYEES
The Federal Government will provide $600,000 to retrain Fort Monmouth employees who do not plan to transfer to Maryland when the fort’s Army communications research center closes in 2011. State officials applied for the grant after Fort Monmouth’s closure was approved by Congress as part of a nationwide consolidation.

The consolidation will transfer Fort Monmouth’s research work to Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland. It is estimated that only one in five of the Fort’s civilian workforce plan to follow their jobs to Maryland.

QUEENS BRIDGE UPGRADE PROJECT IS PROGRESSING
The $3.3 million project to upgrade the Queens Bridge over the Raritan River connecting Bound Brook and South Bound Brook is moving ahead. Scheduled completion date is by May 2007.

The first phase will be construction of a pedestrian walkway on the east side of the bridge. The existing walkway on the west side will be reconstructed to match. In addition, the bridge will feature new light posts and overhead portals.

NEW NAME IS NEWARK REGIONAL BUSINESS PARTNERSHIP
The Regional Business Partnership has officially changed its name to the Newark Regional Business Partnership. Robert A. Marino, Chairman of the Board, said the new name “will provide a clearer organizational identity, a fresh pronouncement of our dedication to Newark and an opportunity to earn additional public visibility.”

ALLIANCE MEMBERS LISTED AS FASTEST GROWING COMPANIES
Two Alliance for Action members have been named by business publication, NJ BIZ, to the list of New Jersey’s 50 fastest growing companies. Schoor DePalma, Inc., made the list at No. 8 and Maser Consulting, PA at No. 17.

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE
-Thomas Manning, Business Manager of Steamfitters, Pipefitters & Apprentices L.U. #475 has been appointed to the New Jersey Economic Development Authority.
-James Snyder, former Deputy Commissioner of the NJ Department of Transportation has joined IEW Construction Group as Director of Business Development.
-Mickey Stavola and Walter Earle were inducted into the New Jersey Construction Industry Hall of Fame at the recent convention of the Utility and Transportation Contractors Association.
-Frank Cosentino of West Long Branch was appointed Executive Director of the Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Planning Authority, which is responsible for finding new uses for the fort. Cosentino had been an executive with Fidelity Land Development Corporation in Chatham.

ALLIANCE IN ACTION
FROM THE COUNTY CHAPTER DESK
Mercer County Alliance for Action will meet this Friday, October 20, 2006.  The meeting will commence at 8:15 a.m. with net-working over coffee and doughnuts, followed by the program at 9:00 a.m. featuring Susan Bass Levin, Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs; Janice Mironov, Mayor of East Windsor Township; and Rick Hammer, Assistant Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Transportation.  Location of the meeting: Holiday Inn Conference Center (formerly Ramada Inn) Route 33, east of New Jersey Turnpike’s Exit 8 (Hightstown). To register go here.

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