In a unanimous vote, the board of directors of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) awarded the contract to build the South Hall expansion to PCL Construction Services Inc.

“We are very pleased to reach this milestone in the South Hall expansion project,” said Manuel J. Cortez, president and CEO of the LVCVA. “What this means for the destination is that the Las Vegas Convention Center is firmly on the path to becoming a full-service facility, capable of operating seven days a week. This expansion is critical to retaining the larger conventions.”

Construction on the $113-million expansion is expected to begin in April, with completion planned for late 2001. The 1.4 million-square-foot facility will have ceilings of 25 to 30 feet on the first floor and 25 feet on the second. A structure connecting the current South Hall with the expansion will span Desert Inn Road and also will include meeting space.

“We’ll be recycling the groundbreaking shovels we used for the 1998 North Hall expansion,” said Tom Smith, vice president of facilities for the LVCVA. “In March 1999, we received the occupancy certificate for the North Hall expansion, and we’ll break ground in weeks on the South Hall expansion. We are pleased with the selection of PCL Construction and also with the lower price of steel and the attractive bidding period. This enabled the bidders to reduce materials costs and fostered a very competitive bidding atmosphere that worked to the LVCVA’s advantage financially.”

PCL Construction is based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, and has an office Las Vegas.