We’re always working towards our mission to build the future of Missouri. Recent developments in the construction and political worlds may impact our infrastructure for the better. Here is a snapshot of the current construction landscape in Branco and beyond.

Liberal School District Project

Branco was the construction manager for the Liberal School District project. The existing facility needed new renovations, including the addition of FEMA Safe Rooms at the high school and elementary locations. During the design phase, we collaborated with Paragon Architecture as well as the district.

We worked with the design team to perform constructibility reviews and performed a detailed review of all bid packages to minimize our risk of scope gaps.

Thanks to the heavy involvement of all parties during the design phase, we were able to establish the needs of the district early on, and prevent items from being cut during the building phase. Our front-end collaborative approach improved efficiency and aligned us with the district and Paragon on the project’s vision – shown by the GMP being within a 1.44% range of the 50% design budget.

One challenge that we overcame early on occurred during the initial planning stage. The plans requested the construction of a building in between two existing structures. These buildings are not squared with each other and, as such, would not be square with a new addition if construction proceeded according to these plans. When we identified this potential obstacle, we suggested a change in the length of the joist to be different at each end, through the use of edge angles. This change could align the buildings with each other despite their initial placement.

The newly renovated 18,800 square-foot facility was completed in 2021. Moving forward, proper communication can identify and solve design issues before implementation occurs. This approach can save all parties valuable time and money in order to complete projects within their GMP.

Missouri Infrastructure Bill

On November 15, 2021, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act was signed into law. As a result, state transportation departments across the country will receive the necessary funding to improve their bridges, roads, water quality, and other forms of infrastructure. The Missouri Department of Transportation, or MoDOT, expects to receive about $9 billion in funding from the infrastructure bill, $5 billion of which has already been allocated for projects. The MoDOT has a distinct plan to invest that money back into Missouri taxpayers in the form of improved roads, highways, bridges, and public transit.

According to MoDOT director Patrick McKenna, a signification portion of funds from the bill will be invested in repairing several key interstate corridors. These corridors include:

• I-435 (Jackson County)
• I-70 (Jackson County, Lafayette County)
• Missouri 131 (Lafayette County)
• I-29 (Clay County)
• I-35 (Clay County)

These corridors are vital for interstate and intrastate commerce, communication, and transport. Many bridges, driving surfaces, and shoulders are aging and in need of repair or complete replacement. New and sound structures can maximize safety, traffic flow, and efficiency on the road.

The MoDOT was obligated to place several projects on hold due to underfunding. The infrastructure bill will provide the money needed to resume these projects, and the MoDOT received statewide public input to determine the infrastructure needs of each community.

Jordan Valley Project

Since 2015, Branco has been a proud building partner of Jordan Valley Community Health Center. Our latest collaborative project is a new healthcare center with comprehensive medical services, including:

• outpatient surgery center
• prenatal services
• OBGYN services
• pediatric care
• dental care

The pediatric clinic will have a dedicated wing and feature physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy services for child patients. The dental clinic will also have a dedicated wing.

Our other ongoing projects for Jordan Valley include a new 15,000 square-foot clinic in Republic, Missouri, as well as a renovation for their Lebanon, Missouri clinic.

We also undertook renovations for Jordan Valley’s Springfield, Missouri clinic, located on W. Kingsley St. These recently completed renovations were done as part of their lease to the Ozarks Area Community Action Corporation (OACAC), a nonprofit agency that is dedicated to eliminating poverty in the Ozarks. Subcontracting work on this project was performed by B&T Electric.

We share Jordan Valley’s goal of improving the well-being of Missourians with comprehensive, affordable healthcare to Missourians.

Building a Better Missouri

The landscape of Missouri is constantly adapting for the future, which applies to our infrastructure, education, healthcare, and economy. With Branco’s forward-thinking collaborative process and adaptability, we’re doing our part in building Missouri for the next generation and beyond.