Warrior in Transition Barracks (WTB) under construction at Fort Bliss, Texas.
Wounded U.S troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan will soon have 20 housing complexes designed to help them recuperate before returning to duty or leaving the military. While normal Department of Defense funds are covering construction costs of 18 of the “Warrior in Transition Barracks,” the agency is using $73 million of Recovery money to build two – one at Fort Bliss, Texas, the other at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.
The complexes will house soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines who no longer require hospital care but still need a healing environment. Their families will also be able to live with them.The barracks at Fort Bliss will be a three-story building encompassing almost 140,000 square feet of floor space and 116 apartment-like modules accommodating 232 beds. Each module will have two separate bedrooms and bathrooms along with a shared kitchenette. Light colors will be used in the furniture and paint to evoke a calming atmosphere. A garden area is also planned for outdoor relaxation.
The Fort Campbell barracks will be almost identical, offering 206 beds.
Each complex will also include Battalion HQ Administration and Company Operations HQ facilities that will house supervisory officers and staff overseeing the residents’ transitions back to their units or into civilian life.
Top: WTB under construction at Fort Campbell, Kentucky; artist's rendition of Fort Campbell complex.
The $41 million Recovery award to design and build the Fort Bliss complex was divided between Sundt Construction of Tucson, Arizona ($30 million), and FPM Remediations of Rome, New York ($11 million). The contractors report the project is 54 percent done and expect completion by February 2011.
Clark Caddell JV of Tampa, Florida, received $25 million in Recovery funds for constructing the Fort Campbell barracks. Nationview, LLC, a small business in Birmingham, Alabama, received $7 million for constructing the administration and operations facilities. Both contracts are on schedule to be complete in September 2011.
The Pentagon originally estimated $100 million of Recovery funds would be necessary to cover total construction costs of both complexes, but bids came in lower than expected, totaling $73 million instead. An agency official says the $27 million savings will allow addition of more amenities at some of the other 18 Warrior in Transition Barracks.
Warrior Transition Command Website
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