When the Springfield Union Station on Frank B. Murray Street closed in 1972, it was another victim of the changes that American transportation had gone through. It did not take long for talks of revitalizing the location to start popping, but it took a very long time for those talks to start becoming a reality.
You can do research back as far as 2009 to find legitimate discussions about funding the Union Station project, but it wasn’t until 2014 that the project finally got underway. According to MassLive.com, the project started with a crew of eight workers doing prep work in the back of the building. But over time, the project has stopped and started over and over again. Now organizers wonder if the projected completion time of sometime in 2016 is even feasible anymore.
Construction revenues are on the rise in Massachusetts.
The Budget Keeps Expanding
When the project first started, its overall cost was estimated to be at $75 million. It was an ambitious project that would turn Union Station into a train station, bus station, and retail center. When it is complete, Union Station will attract visitors from all over the area who will come to spend their money in Springfield.
But according to WWLP.com news, the estimated budget rose to $85 million in April 2015 and it does not look like the budget is done going up. Since the project is a combination of local, state, and federal funding, these unexpected budget increases are becoming problematic. Not only does the rising budget threaten to shut the project down, but the project grinds to a halt each time more money is requested.
What Is The Problem?
The simple fact is that Union Station is an old building that was left abandoned for almost 40 years and now there are new problems popping up everywhere. The project organizers want to continue to salvage the original look of the station, which means that more time and money has to be spent preserving elements of the building that may not be so easily preserved. As the workers attend to one issue, another pops up and the budget keeps on ballooning.
Take a closer look at the booming construction industry in Massachusetts.
Part of the Massachusetts Construction Revival
The Springfield Union Station project is just one example of the construction revival in Massachusetts. MGM Springfield is spending $800 million to renovate the State Armory into a casino and hopes to open that project to the public in 2017. Universities and colleges throughout Massachusetts are signing up to take part in the new environmental construction initiative that rewards facilities and contractors for using environmentally friendly construction methods and materials.
If you are looking to advance your construction career, now is the time to get to Massachusetts and take advantage of the opportunities. The Massachusetts Contractors Academy has the classes you need to earn your construction supervisor’s license and give you the certification you need to take your growing construction career to the next level.
George N Root III is a professional freelance writer who has expertise in topics such as Internet marketing, business, advertising, and personal finance.