History - Shimmick-Heavy Civil Construction and Operations

ABOUT US

Shimmick is a heavy civil construction firm and trusted partner that delivers innovative, cost-effective solutions to meet unique operational and construction challenges. Shimmick has successfully delivered projects across the United States spanning nearly every civil market segment, from bridges and rail transit to dams and wastewater treatment facilities.

Shimmick offers our clients the value of a long history of trusted firms. A deep-rooted culture built upon the legacies of Morrison Knudsen, Washington Group International, and Shimmick. Today’s Shimmick is the result of multiple entities becoming one — the people, resources, and experience to carry on a tradition of excellence. We bring a diverse and geographically distributed team. A single-source solution to meet the many needs of infrastructure, and through our legacy companies, one that has achieved many firsts.

2021

Shimmick begins operating as an independent company following an investment from Oroco, a strategic long-term investor with a focus on infrastructure projects across the country.

2020

The new Shimmick entity, comprised of legacy companies Morrison Knudsen, Washington Group Companies, and legacy Shimmick, among others, is ranked the third largest dam contractor in the U.S. by Engineering News Record. Shimmick is ranked among the top 20 contractors in transportation, highways, bridges, mass transit and rail, water supply and water treatment.

Shimmick wins first build-finance project, the $260 million Gilcrease Expressway project, in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Shimmick opens the Gerald Desmond Bridge, the first cable-stayed vehicular bridge in California.

Steve Richards, who started his career with Morrison Knudsen and served in various leadership positions within legacy companies Washington Group, is appointed President of AECOM’s civil construction division (now Shimmick).

2017

AECOM purchases Shimmick and merges it with the existing Civil Construction & Mining group, doubling the size of the civil construction division.

2015

Shimmick company Rust Constructors continues work at Black Thunder Mine to build infrastructure for the largest open pit coal mine in North America. Our work at Black Thunder dates back to 1993, when Washington Group International acquired Fuller Construction.

2014

URS is acquired by AECOM for $5.3 billion and creates a Construction Services Division, within which the Civil Construction & Mining group now operates.

2013

Shimmick expands geographic footprint to Washington State constructing water, electrical and large light rail projects in the Seattle metro area.

2012

Shimmick starts a foundation group to perform work throughout the western United States and Hawaii. This work includes some of the most technical and challenging large diameter drilled shaft foundation projects in the U.S.

2010

Shimmick wins a $140 million contract to construction the San Vicente Dam Raise, the tallest dam raise in the U.S. Shimmick continues to win additional major projects, including the $897M BART Extension to San Jose.

2007

Washington Group is acquired by URS for $2.6 billion.

2004

Shimmick legacy company Washington Group wins the contract to build the Olmsted Dam, the largest civil works project by the USACE.

2000

Legacy Shimmick company Washington Construction Company acquires Raytheon Engineers and Constructors, changes name to Washington Group International.

In addition to highway and transit projects, Shimmick enters the water resources market, building dams, water and wastewater treatment plants throughout California.

1996

Washington Construction Co. acquires Morrison Knudsen, a designer and contractor of major infrastructure throughout the world and one of the consortium of firms that built Hoover Dam, San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge, the NASA Vehicle Assembly Building, the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, and many other large projects of American infrastructure.

Shimmick, operating at the time as 21st Century Rail, wins the contract to design, build, operate and maintain the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail Extension in Jersey City, the nation’s first DBOM project.

1993

Washington Companies merges with Kasler Corporation, a civil construction company operating primarily in Southern California.

1990

Shimmick is founded in California.

1964

Shimmick legacy company is established by Denny Washington as the Washington Construction Company in Missoula, Montana. Over the next three decades, the company expands throughout the region.

1936

Shimmick legacy company Morrison Knudsen builds the Hoover Dam.