Empire City Construction Inc | Urban Infrastructure & Civil Construction

Core Sectors

Infrastructure That Moves Cities Forward

From arterial highways to civic campuses, Empire City Construction manages the full lifecycle of public and private urban infrastructure — preconstruction through commissioning and turnover.

Highway construction with heavy equipment

01 · Highways

Highway & Corridor

Multi-lane expansions, interchange rebuilds, HOV lanes, and complete street integrations for state DOT and regional authorities.

Interstate & arterial widening
Interchange design-build
Traffic staging & MOT plans

02 · Bridges

Bridges & Overpasses

Structural steel and precast concrete spans, pedestrian bridges, and accelerated bridge construction for minimal traffic disruption.

Steel & precast superstructures
ABC / slide-in methods
Seismic & load retrofitting

03 · Municipal

Civic & Municipal

City halls, public safety complexes, transit facilities, and utility infrastructure built to LEED and public procurement standards.

Public safety & EMS facilities
Transit & maintenance yards
Water & wastewater plants

04 · Mixed-Use

Urban Development

Transit-oriented mixed-use districts combining residential, retail, and office with integrated parking structures and public realm.

TOD master plan execution
Parking structures & podiums
Streetscape & plaza work

Full-Scope Capabilities

One Team From Groundbreaking to Ribbon-Cutting

Empire City integrates civil, structural, and building trades under a single accountable program — eliminating coordination gaps on complex urban jobsites where every lane closure and utility conflict matters.

DB

Design-Build Delivery

Single-contract design-build and CM-at-risk delivery for owners who need schedule certainty on corridor and campus programs. Our in-house estimators, schedulers, and constructability reviewers compress procurement timelines and reduce change-order exposure.

NCDOT PrequalifiedSCDOT ListedCM/GC

Construction crew coordinating on urban job site

01

Earthwork & Grading

Mass excavation, soil stabilization, retaining walls, and stormwater management for greenfield corridors and constrained urban infill sites.

Cut/FillGeogridSWPPP

02

Concrete & Paving

Portland cement, asphalt paving, curbs, gutters, and ADA-compliant sidewalk networks meeting AASHTO and local DOT specifications.

QC/QACore Testing

03

Structural Steel

Bridge girders, building frames, and specialty steel erection with AISC-certified fabrication partners and third-party inspection.

AISCNDT

04

Utilities & Underground

Water, sewer, storm, gas, electric, and fiber relocations coordinated with utility owners and municipal permitting agencies.

811 CoordinationJack & BoreVault Install

05

Traffic Management

MOT plans, lane closures, detour routing, and 24/7 traffic control for live-corridor work without compromising public safety.

MOT CertifiedATSSA

06

Commissioning & Closeout

Systems testing, punch-list management, as-built documentation, and owner training for municipal and institutional turnover.

LEEDO&M ManualsWarranty

Project Portfolio

Landmark Work Across the Carolinas

Representative programs demonstrating Empire City's capacity for complex, high-visibility urban infrastructure in live traffic and occupied civic environments.

Highway · NCDOT

I-485 / US-74 Interchange Rebuild

Complete interchange reconstruction with three new flyover ramps, 1.2M CY earthwork, and 14 months of phased MOT maintaining four lanes of traffic throughout construction.

$186M ContractMatthews, NC2022–2025

Bridge · Design-Build

Little Sugar Creek Pedestrian Span

350-foot steel truss pedestrian bridge connecting greenway segments, installed via overnight crane pick with ABC methodology to minimize trail closures.

$24M ContractCharlotte, NC2023–2024

Municipal · CM/GC

Union County Public Safety Campus

142,000 SF combined fire, EMS, and emergency operations facility with hardened communications infrastructure and LEED Silver certification target.

$68M ContractMonroe, NC2021–2024

Mixed-Use · Private/Public

South End Transit District Phase II

Four-building TOD with 680 residential units, 95,000 SF retail, structured parking, and integrated light-rail station improvements on a 6-acre urban block.

$210M GMPCharlotte, NC2020–2025

Municipal · Utilities

McAlpine Creek WTP Expansion

15 MGD capacity expansion with new clarifiers, filter galleries, and chemical feed systems — delivered while maintaining full plant operations throughout.

$52M ContractMecklenburg Co.2019–2023

Urban · Streetscape

Matthews Town Center Revitalization

Complete street reconstruction with buried utilities, decorative paving, stormwater bioswales, and a new civic plaza connecting town hall to the rail corridor.

$31M ContractMatthews, NC2022–2024

47Lane-Miles Built

62Bridges Constructed

3.8MSF Civic & Municipal

98.2%On-Time Delivery Rate

Delivery Process

Five Phases. Zero Surprises.

Every Empire City program follows a disciplined delivery framework developed over three decades of public works and urban development — from initial corridor study through final acceptance and warranty period.

01

Preconstruction

Constructability review, GMP development, permitting strategy, utility coordination, and stakeholder engagement before shovels hit dirt.

02

Mobilization

Site logistics, SWPPP installation, MOT setup, subcontractor onboarding, and baseline schedule lock with owner and engineer.

03

Construction

Phased execution with weekly OAC meetings, QA/QC inspection, RFI and submittal tracking, and real-time schedule analytics.

04

Commissioning

Systems startup, performance testing, punch-list resolution, training, and complete as-built and O&M documentation package.

05

Closeout

Final acceptance, lien releases, warranty activation, and post-occupancy support through the one-year correction period.

Project Type	Typical Duration	Delivery Method	Key Deliverables
Highway Interchange	18–36 months	Design-Build / Low-Bid	MOT plans, QA/QC logs, final ride survey, as-built plans
Bridge Replacement	12–24 months	Design-Build / CM/GC	Structural inspection reports, NDT records, load rating certification
Municipal Building	24–42 months	CM-at-Risk / GMP	Commissioning reports, LEED documentation, O&M manuals
Mixed-Use Development	30–48 months	CM/GC / Design-Build	Phased CO schedule, tenant coordination log, warranty binders
Utility / WTP Expansion	20–36 months	Low-Bid / CM/GC	Process startup data, operator training, performance guarantees

Equipment & Resources

Fleet & Field Strength Built for Scale

Empire City maintains one of the largest privately held civil construction fleets in the Charlotte metro — ensuring self-performance capacity on earthwork, paving, and structural operations without reliance on rental availability during peak season.

Our Matthews headquarters supports a 14-acre equipment yard, in-house survey and drone mapping teams, and a centralized project controls office providing real-time cost and schedule dashboards to owners and agency partners.

120+ heavy units including excavators, dozers, and motor graders
Self-perform concrete paving with dual slip-form machines
In-house MOT crews certified to ATSSA standards
Drone LiDAR and photogrammetry for progress verification
BIM coordination for complex structural and MEP scopes

Heavy civil equipment fleet at construction yard — Matthews Equipment Yard · 14 Acres

Safety & Compliance

Zero Compromise on Every Jobsite

Public infrastructure demands public trust. Empire City Construction maintains an EMR of 0.62, OSHA VPP Star certification, and a comprehensive safety management system covering every employee, subcontractor, and visitor on our corridors and campuses.

Daily toolbox talks, pre-task hazard analysis, and near-miss reporting drive continuous improvement. Our safety team embeds with field crews — not behind a desk — on every active project.

Construction workers following safety protocols on bridge project — OSHA VPP Star · EMR 0.62

OSHA VPP Star Site

Voluntary Protection Program Star status — the highest OSHA recognition for workplace safety and health management systems in the construction industry.

DOT Compliance

NCDOT and SCDOT prequalified across all major work categories. Full compliance with Buy America, DBE participation, and prevailing wage requirements.

Environmental Stewardship

SWPPP management, erosion control, spill prevention, and habitat protection protocols on every corridor and waterfront project we deliver.

About Empire City

Matthews-Based. Regionally Proven.

Empire City Construction Inc. is headquartered at 3347 Darlington Rd in Matthews, North Carolina — at the heart of one of the fastest-growing metropolitan regions in the United States. Since 1998, we have specialized in the large-scale urban infrastructure that keeps cities moving: highways, bridges, municipal buildings, and mixed-use developments that reshape skylines and connect communities.

Our team of 680+ field and office professionals brings deep experience with NCDOT, SCDOT, municipal agencies, and private developers who demand accountability on complex, publicly visible programs. We do not subcontract our responsibility — Empire City self-performs critical path work and manages every trade with the same rigor we apply to our own crews.

From the I-485 corridor widening that eases Charlotte commuter congestion to civic campuses serving growing suburban counties, Empire City Construction builds infrastructure designed to serve generations — not just meet bid-day numbers.

Accountability

Single-point responsibility from preconstruction through warranty. One contract, one team, one schedule owners can trust.

Precision

QA/QC programs, third-party inspection, and real-time project controls that catch issues before they become change orders.

Community Impact

Infrastructure that improves mobility, public safety, and economic opportunity for the communities we serve across the Carolinas.

FAQ

Common Questions From Agencies & Developers

Answers to frequently asked questions about Empire City's qualifications, delivery methods, and project approach.

Yes. Empire City Construction Inc. is prequalified with both the North Carolina Department of Transportation and the South Carolina Department of Transportation across major work categories including grading, drainage, paving, structures, and miscellaneous construction. We maintain current prequalification certificates and bonding capacity exceeding $400 million for individual projects.

We deliver projects through design-build, construction manager-at-risk (CM/GC), guaranteed maximum price (GMP), and traditional low-bid formats. Our preconstruction team works with owners early in program development to recommend the delivery method best suited to schedule constraints, design maturity, and risk allocation preferences.

Every corridor project begins with a detailed Maintenance of Traffic (MOT) plan developed in coordination with the agency, local law enforcement, and emergency services. Our in-house ATSSA-certified traffic control crews implement phased lane closures, detours, and overnight work windows designed to maintain mobility while keeping crews and the public safe.

Empire City Construction is based in Matthews, North Carolina, and actively serves the Charlotte metropolitan area, Mecklenburg and Union counties, and the broader Carolinas region including Upstate South Carolina and the Raleigh-Durham corridor for select municipal and infrastructure programs.

Yes. Our municipal and mixed-use teams include LEED-accredited professionals who manage sustainable construction practices, material sourcing, waste diversion, and commissioning requirements for projects targeting LEED Silver, Gold, or equivalent green building standards.

Empire City Construction maintains an Experience Modification Rate (EMR) of 0.62 and holds OSHA Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) Star certification — recognizing our safety management system as among the best in the industry. We have recorded zero lost-time incidents on our last four major DOT corridor projects.