Wilson-based PLT Construction selected as prime contractor for site development

Jackson, NC – North Carolina Center for Automotive Research (NCCAR) representatives have confirmed completion and execution of contract documents for the center’s initial $8.4 Million site development contract with PLT Construction Company, Inc. based in Wilson, NC. The contract was executed at the conclusion of a preconstruction conference held recently at the NCSU Centennial Campus offices of the lead project engineering firm McKim & Creed.

During the preconstruction meeting, NCCAR Board of Directors member Steve Margolis reminded those attending of the broad support and guidance the project has received from local, state and federal government. Margolis, Alumni Distinguished Undergraduate Professor, Department of Economics at North Carolina State University, commented “Certainly the interest and cooperation of the automotive industry has been of great value to the project. But perhaps of greater value has been the strong support we’ve received from our elected officials at every level and the remarkable assistance provided us by the professional staff in state government. We have an obligation to all of them to do this project exceptionally well, and are fully committed to doing that.”

Jon M. Wallace, Project Manager for PLT Construction, told those attending the meeting “We are very pleased and proud to have received the contract award for the NCCAR Phase IA project, and we sincerely appreciate the confidence the board of directors have placed in our company’s abilities. The board has set a high standard. We will meet it. We’re ready to go to work, and look forward to a very successful partnership with your outstanding organization and this great team on what is truly a world-class project.”

Board members cited the cooperation and advice provided by state and federal budget and regulatory officials as vital to the project. To ensure full compliance with all financial management, reporting and regulatory requirements, the NCCAR project team has worked very closely with the Fiscal Staff of the General Assembly, the Office of State Management and Budget, the State Construction Office, the Departments of Commerce, Transportation, Environment and Natural Resources, the Army Corps of Engineers and other agencies. Board members credit that collaborative effort for the successful completion of the design and permitting phase of the project.

Funding for the project has been provided through appropriations from the North Carolina General Assembly combined with grant awards from the North Carolina Rural Center, the Tobacco Trust Fund Commission and the Golden Leaf Foundation. Northampton County funded acquisition of the NCCAR site and the North Carolina Department of Transportation has provided funding for the industrial access road serving the center.

The contract with PLT --- which includes construction of the project’s signature ride & handling course, a vehicle dynamics area, internal roadways and infrastructure --- is the first of three to be issued for Phase 1A of the NCCAR project. Construction documents for on-site buildings and the industrial access road serving the 620-acre NCCAR project site are being finalized and solicitation of bids will soon follow.

About NCCAR: The North Carolina Center for Automotive Research (NCCAR) is a modern automotive testing facility for use in the design, development, testing and certification of advanced vehicle technologies, sub-systems and components. NCCAR is a State funded initiative that is designed to combine the resources and skills of North Carolina's industries, academic institutions and strategies to put North Carolina at the front of advanced vehicle technologies and hence jobs The Research Center is a public-private partnership that matches the talents of multi-national automotive companies with those of North Carolina's leading universities. NCCAR is world class and focused on next generation research and development in the automotive industry. For more information, www.nccar.us