Top Project Starts

Mid-Atlantic Construction spotlights the largest projects by dollar value to break ground during 2008 in Delaware, eastern Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia.

Despite a down economy, a lot of large projects were going up around the region in 2008. This year’s list illustrates the market shift from private sector projects to public work. Projects under the Base Realignment and Closure Act of 2005 factored heavily into the rankings, including the $641.4 million Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., the $369.6 million Defense Information Systems Agency at Fort George G. Meade, Md., and the $312.5 million Military Department Investigative Agencies in Quantico, Va.

The healthcare sector also produced several top projects, including the $294 million Robinwood Medical Center in Hagerstown, Md., $275 million Martha Jefferson Hospital in Charlottesville, Va., and the $142.8 million Anne Arundel Medical Center in Annapolis, Md.

Clark Construction Group showed its dominance of Washington, D.C., megaprojects in 2008, breaking ground on four of the District’s top five jobs.

Read on to see all of the projects that landed at the top of this year’s list.

Delaware
1) Indian River Inlet Bridge Rehoboth Beach, Del.
2) Smyrna High School Smyrna, Del.
3) Helen F. Graham Cancer Center Newark, Del.

District of Columbia
1) Constitution Square Washington, D.C.
2) 1015 Half St. SE Washington, D.C.
3) United States Institute of Peace Washington, D.C.
4) Arena Stage Washington, D.C.
5) 2200 Pennsylvania Ave Washington, D.C.

Maryland
1) Walter Reed National Military Medical Center Bethesda, Md.
2) DISAFort George G. Meade, Md.
3) Robinwood Medical Center Hagerstown, Md.
4) Anne Arundel Medical Center Annapolis, Md.
5) Interstate 95 Express Toll Lane Baltimore, Md.

Eastern Pennsylvania
1) Anne and Jerome Fisher Translational Research Center Philadelphia, Pa.
2) Philadelphia Park Casino Bensalem, Pa.
3) National Museum of American Jewish History Philadelphia, Pa.
4) Upper Dublin High School Upper Dublin, Pa.
5) West Chester University Dormitories West Chester, Pa.

Virginia
1) Virginia City Hybrid Energy Center St. Paul, Va.
2) Capital Beltway High Occupancy Toll Lanes Northern Virginia
3) Military Department Investigative Agencies Quantico, Va.
4) Martha Jefferson Hospital Charlottesville, Va.
5) Telegraph Road Interchange Improvements Alexandria, Va.