Top 5 construction companies leading California's biggest projects

These are the top 5 construction companies leading some of California’s biggest projects

AECOM Hunt

AECOM Hunt is leading the construction of the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, home of the LA Clippers basketball team. They broke ground on the 1.1 million square foot arena in 2021 and will be opened later this year. Additionally, the US$1.8 billion facility will be 100% carbon-free from day one and naturally ventilated. AECOM is also leading the construction of the US$30 billion LAX modernization project.

Burns and McDonnell

The company is currently working on the Sycamore to Peñasquitos 230-kV Transmission Line in San Diego County, California. The project is aimed at increasing the efficiency and supply of renewably generated power for San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E). Moreover, it has won Best Project honours in the ENR-California region. The project has been estimated to cost US$260 million. Furthermore, the company is also working at the Carlsbad Energy Center in San Diego, California. They were tasked with designing and constructing the new 527-megawatt simple-cycle, gas-fired power centre and won an Award of Merit in the ENR-California region. Lastly, the company is also working on the LAX modernization project, specifically, on the Southwest Airlines Terminal 1 Program. They have also won an Award of Merit for Safety and a separate Award of Merit in the Transportation category in the ENR-California region.

Clark Construction

The company was founded in 1906 and is headquartered in Virginia. However, they have led several projects in California. These include the construction of the Salesforce Tower. As of 2024, it is the tallest building in San Francisco, standing at 1,070 feet tall. The US$1.1 billion tower has 61 floors and covers 1.4 million square feet. The company also built the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) Heldman Center in Los Angeles. Further, the 60,000-square-foot center is scheduled to be completed in 2026 and was designed by Gensler. It has been estimated to cost US$569 million.

Hensel Phelps

This company has been the lead contractor on many projects nationwide. In California, they were selected in 2023 to work on the Triton Center and Ridge Walk North Living and Learning Neighborhood. Both projects are student accommodations which are estimated to have a combined cost of US$1.1 billion. According to The San Antonio Business Journal, the company is the largest global aviation terminal contractor. They are also working on the US$1 billion San Antonio Terminal project, expected to break ground in 2025 and be completed in 2028.

Lendlease

Last but not least among California’s biggest construction companies is Lendlease. The construction and real estate giant is working on Hayes Point, a US$1.2 billion mixed-use development in San Francisco, California. The project is a 47-story tall building and is expected to be completed in 2027. Gensler and Solomon Cordwell Buenz designed the 833,000-square-foot facility.