Birmingham City Council appoints four firms to transport and infrastructure framework. Birmingham City Council has appointed AtkinsRéalis, Jacobs, Mott MacDonald and Pell Frischmann Consultants to its Transportation and Infrastructure Professional Services Framework, a major consultancy agreement expected to support highways and infrastructure projects across the city and wider Midlands region over the next eight years. The framework, valued at up to £400m excluding VAT, will provide multidisciplinary design and advisory services covering areas including highways engineering, transport planning, drainage, air quality, structural engineering, traffic systems and wider infrastructure consultancy. Approximately £240m of the projected spending is expected to relate directly to Birmingham City Council projects, with the remaining work potentially commissioned by other public bodies across the East and West Midlands through access agreements. The council said the framework has been established under the Procurement Act 2023 as an "open model", allowing suppliers to be refreshed or added during the life of the agreement rather than fixing membership for the entire contract period. The framework is scheduled to run from 2026 until 2034 under NEC4 contract terms. According to procurement documents, the framework is intended to cover a broad range of technical and professional services associated with transport and civil infrastructure delivery. These include engineering design, project management, road safety audits, sustainability and environmental advice, urban design, drainage services, street lighting, archaeology and air quality management. Eight organisations are understood to have bid for places on the framework before the final four firms were selected. Birmingham City Council also specified that at least 20% of services delivered through the framework must be subcontracted to small and medium-sized enterprises. The appointments come as Birmingham continues to progress a series of transport, regeneration and public realm schemes linked to wider infrastructure investment and urban development plans across the city. Previous frameworks have supported projects ranging from highways upgrades and Metro extensions to bridge maintenance and transport strategy work.

Newport City Council advances new Big Creek dam design alternatives. * Lincoln County Leader * Apr 22, 2026 Updated 2 hrs ago * 0 The Newport City Council has unanimously approved a new direction for the Big Creek Dams project, selecting two alternative design approaches presented by Jacobs Engineering that address critical seismic safety risks while remaining financially achievable for the City. The decision made by the city council Monday evening, April 20, marks a shift from the previously approved Roller Compacted Concrete (RCC) dam design after an analysis in 2025 when the design was 30% complete estimated the project would cost approximately $185 million, an amount that continues to escalate and far exceeds what the City is able to reasonably fund. "The City will now advance two alternatives for further design and evaluation, proceeding with additional studies and refined cost estimates while coordinating with state and regulatory agencies," city officials state in a release. "A final alternative for construction will be selected at a later, currently undetermined date." The selected alternatives are to remediate both dams, or to remediate only Dam (the upper dam) #2 and remove Dam #1 (the lower dam). The estimated costs of these alternatives are between $30 to $77 million, depending on fish passage. The Big Creek Dams, key components of Newport's water supply system, have long been identified as vulnerable to seismic activity, and seepage in the upper dam spillway has escalated the critical nature of a repair and solution. Both dams have been classified by the Oregon Water Resources Department (OWRD) as unsafe or potentially unsafe, as studies have found weak soils beneath both dams, creating a risk of failure during a seismic event and potential downstream impacts to people and infrastructure. The City is required to implement corrective action by the end of 2036. Both dams are earthen dams constructed of compacted layers of soil, rock, and clay. Dam #1 was built in 1951 and holds approximately 57 million gallons of water. Dam #2 was built in 1969 and holds approximately 270 million gallons. In 2022, the City received $14 million in state funding for the design and permitting of a replacement dam. Later that year, the City received a $60 million federal authorization for the Big Creek Dams project. "This authorization allows the project to be eligible for federal funding and signals congressional support, but it does not provide actual funding. Instead, it establishes the legal framework for future appropriations, meaning additional legislative steps are required before any federal dollars are received," the release states. Big Creek Dams Project Timeline * 2011 - Weak soils identified beneath Big Creek Dams #1 and #2 * 2013 - Initial geotechnical evaluation conducted * 2013 - Listed as "most-critical, high-hazard" dam project in the state by Oregon's Dam Safety Engineer * 2015 - Alternative analysis identifies RCC dam replacement as preferred solution * 2021 - Dam #1 classified Unsafe and Dam #2 classified Potentially Unsafe by the Office of Kate Brown, Governor of Oregon * October, 2022 - City of Newport granted $14 million in state funding for design and permitting of a replacement dam * December, 2022 - $60 million federal authorization approved * June, 2025 - RCC dam design advanced to 30% completion; project cost estimated at $185 million * August, 2025 - City of Newport commissions updated alternative analysis by Jacobs Engineering * April, 2026 - City Council approves Alternatives 3A and 3B for further development * May 1, 2026 - Deadline for OWRD agreement on corrective action path * By 2036 - Required completion of dam safety improvements under state consent order Related Materials: Follow developments online at the Lincoln County Leader website andin the Wednesday print editions of the Leader. The Newport City Council is now reviewing multi-million-dollar options to deal with the safe...

Jacobs has been selected by the Illinois Department of Transportation for two projects to modernise the I-290 Eisenhower Expressway corridor in Chicago, which serves over 200,000 vehicles daily. The engineering firm will design and manage the replacement of the Indiana Harbor Belt railroad bridge, using accelerated construction staging to minimise disruptions on the busy freight route. Separately, Jacobs will oversee installation of a supplemental storm sewer beneath I-290 using tunnelling methods. The I-290 connects Chicago's western suburbs to the central business district and links south Cook County to major employment zones including the I-88 Technology Corridor and O'Hare International Airport. The projects aim to reduce congestion, enhance safety and strengthen stormwater management to reduce flooding risks. Jacobs generates approximately $12 billion in annual revenue and employs around 47,000 people globally.