GSA awards construction contracts for U.S. Courthouse, Land Port of Entry

by Brianna Crandall — January 11, 2017 — The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) awarded construction contracts for a new U.S. Courthouse in Texas and a new Land Port of Entry in New Mexico in recent weeks.

U.S. Courthouse in San Antonio, Texas

GSA awarded the contract for the new U.S. Courthouse in San Antonio, Texas, to White Construction Company. The new federal courthouse will provide the Judiciary with a newly constructed 305,000-gross-square-foot facility with inside parking spaces located at the former City Police Headquarters site, 214 West Nueva Street in San Antonio, Texas. Since current court facilities were identified by the federal Judiciary as a top priority for replacement, GSA has been working in concert with the Judiciary to bring a new U.S. Courthouse.

San Antonio Courthouse

Rendering of new U.S. Courthouse in San Antonio, Texas

The federal Judiciary currently occupies space in the John H. Wood, Jr., U.S. Courthouse; the Adrian A. Spears Judicial Training Center; and the Federal Building, all in downtown San Antonio. The new courthouse will consolidate all district court operations into one facility, providing eight courtrooms and 13 chambers to accommodate 13 judges.

After the Judiciary relocates to the new facility, the Wood Courthouse and the Spears Training Center will be transferred to the City of San Antonio in exchange for the former City Police Headquarters site, which is where the new U.S. courthouse will be built. Initiatives like this one allow GSA to leverage federal resources to foster economic development in local communities. The anticipated completion of the new courthouse is November 2020.

Land Port of Entry in Columbus, New Mexico

GSA awarded the construction contract for the new Land Port of Entry (LPOE) in Columbus, New Mexico, to Hensel Phelps Construction Co., from Austin, Texas. The new LPOE will provide the Department of Homeland Security’s Customs and Border Protection (CBP) with facilities to help the agency fulfill its mission of keeping America’s borders safe and secure.

The new port is expected to enhance security along the U.S. border and create jobs in the local community, as well as benefit the Village of Columbus and surrounding areas with needed infrastructure improvements that will support the region for years to come.

The new port facilities will be larger and more efficient while also addressing flooding issues through site improvements to control storm water flow. The current facility was built in 1989 and was designed to accommodate visitors and a few commercial vehicles entering the United States.  Since that time, the port has gained significance in agricultural trade, and the number of daily crossings has increased substantially. Construction is expected to begin in January 2017, and be completed in February 2019.