London-based contractor Balfour Beatty has picked up another infrastructure project in the American Southeast — this time, a $320 million state prison in Georgia, according to a July 12 release.
The Georgia State Financing and Investment Commission provided funding, in association with Georgia Building Authority and the Georgia Department of Corrections.
The facility can accommodate 3,000 inmates and includes administration, programming, general and vocational education, medical and intake services. It will give Georgia an efficient, state-owned and operated prison to meet its evolving correctional services needs, according to the release.
Georgia correctional facilities have faced intense scrutiny in the past month — last week, the Associated Press reported that the U.S. Department of Justice is opening an investigation into conditions inside Georgia jails and prisons. The investigators are looking at living conditions, access to medical care and cases of excessive force.
This comes on the heels of Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp’s 2022 proposal to spend $600 million on two new prisons in the state that would result in the closure of four older ones, according to Georgia Public Broadcasting. In his spending plans, Kemp recommended the construction of a new 3,000-bed facility, which he called “historic” when he announced the plans.
Balfour Beatty will be the construction manager at risk and will engage early in programming and design of the new prison, according to the release. The contractor will also provide collaborative preconstruction and constructability services throughout the design phase.
The multi-million contract funded by public dollars in the U.S. follows a formula that has served the contractor well. Balfour Beatty posted increased sales and profits in its 2022 full-year earnings report and cited the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act as a boon for its business.
Along with the Georgia prison, Balfour Beatty has also worked on two other infrastructure jobs in neighboring North Carolina — $650 million in improvements for Raleigh-Durham International Airport, and a $36 million highway contract for the junction reconstruction of state Route 87 and Route 11.
