Royalties, Rivers and Reps: The Week's Five Construction Deals That Count

The Kansas City Royals picked Legends Global as owner's representative for a $1.9 billion ballpark anchoring a $3 billion mixed-use district — and that was just Thursday's announcement. By week's end, Skanska had booked a $163 million New York waterfront contract, ASCE had crowned a Seattle Aquarium pavilion, Accenture had bought a software startup and Balfour Beatty had reshuffled its U.S. buildings leadership. Here's what executives actually need to know.

Who will run the Royals' $3 billion district?

Legends Global, based in New York City, will represent the Royals' interests in construction schedules and budgeting for the 34,000-seat, open-air ballpark in Kansas City, Missouri, the team announced Thursday. The firm will serve as liaison to the joint venture actually building the stadium: Mortenson and local contractor McCownGordon Construction.

Groundbreaking is anticipated for 2027, with completion targeted for the 2030 season. JE Dunn will help construct the surrounding neighborhood in the broader 85-acre district.

Legends Global is not new to this gig. The firm currently serves as owner's representative for the Tampa Bay Rays, the Dallas Mavericks, the recently opened Buffalo Bills' Highmark Stadium and the multiyear renovation of the Toronto Blue Jays' Rogers Centre. Sports owners, it seems, prefer hiring someone who has already sat in the expensive seats.

What did Skanska win in New York?

Stockholm-based Skanska has won a $163 million contract to build the East Side Greenway 14th Street Connector in New York City, the contractor announced Wednesday. The project aims to deliver a continuous waterfront connection between East River Park and Captain Patrick J. Brown Walk.

Scope includes:

• A new esplanade along the East River with a shared pedestrian and bicycle path
• Improved landscaping
• New lighting and seating
• Other public amenities

Design engagement begins soon, per the announcement. Groundbreaking is anticipated in early 2028, with completion at the end of 2030. Three years of design for a walkway. Manhattan never hurries.

Elsewhere in the city's transit news, Halmar wrapped work on the 161st Street-Yankee Stadium subway stop, part of a $965 million subway upgrade, and Oklahoma City unveiled a multibillion-dollar airport expansion plan that will add new gates and a light rail passenger connection.

Which project won ASCE's top honor?

The American Society of Civil Engineers awarded the Seattle Aquarium Ocean Pavilion its 2026 Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement Gold Award at the OPAL Gala in Reston, Virginia, according to an Oct. 15 announcement.

Magnusson Klemencic Associates served as project manager for the pavilion's construction. The project improved accessibility between Pike Place Market and Puget Sound, and the finished building holds over 500,000 gallons of water. Its 30-foot-wide window is designed to withstand a magnitude-9.0 earthquake — roughly the structural ambition of a coastal vault, applied to fish.

The pavilion is one of 12 projects ASCE honored with an OCEA award. The Lake Washington Ship Canal in Seattle and the Hyperion Advanced Water Purification Facility in Playa Del Rey, California, shared the silver award. The New York City Central Business District Tolling Program took bronze.

Why did Accenture buy Avicado?

Business consulting firm Accenture has acquired Avicado, a startup that specializes in integrating and implementing project management software such as Autodesk Construction Cloud and Procore, according to a Tuesday announcement.

Avicado will sit inside Accenture Construct, the company's new construction-focused offering launched Sept. 23. The business aims to help builders plan, deliver and optimize large infrastructure and capital projects, and will use Avicado to expand its digital and systems consulting capabilities.

Avicado does more than software plumbing. The startup also offers on-the-ground program delivery services, with specialists serving as owner representatives — supporting site selection and feasibility, and managing procurement. Accenture wants to sell the hard hat along with the dashboard.

Who is running Balfour Beatty's U.S. growth?

Balfour Beatty has named Scott Skidelsky as its U.S. president for strategy and growth, according to a Thursday announcement. Skidelsky joined the firm in 2012 and has led its building segment in the Southeast U.S. since 2017. In the new role, he will lead strategic development across the business with a focus on accelerating growth.

John Harris succeeds Skidelsky as president of the Southeast buildings segment, the company announced the same day. Harris has worked at Balfour Beatty for nearly 28 years and will lead strategic direction and client relationships across Georgia and Florida, spanning sectors that include data centers, aviation, education, public facilities and hospitality.

The moves signal where Balfour Beatty sees its U.S. revenue heading — and data centers sit conspicuously first on that list.