Balfour Beatty tops off Orange County youth transition center

California Construction News staff writer

Balfour Beatty has topped off the new Orange County Youth Transition Center in Orange, California, marking a major milestone in the construction of a replacement for the county’s juvenile hall campus.

The project is being built by Balfour Beatty in partnership with the County of Orange, Lionakis and DLR Group.

The three-phase project will overhaul the approximately 17-acre Orange County Juvenile Hall campus at 331 The City Drive South.

The first phase includes demolition and replacement of 10 buildings and related infrastructure and construction of the new youth transition center. The work also includes landscaping, hardscaping, accessibility improvements and utility upgrades.

The second phase is planned to include new long-term housing, a classroom and library building and independent housing. The third phase remains in the design stage and is expected to include tenant improvements to the campus’ remaining buildings.

Phase 1 began in February 2025 and is expected to take about 30 months, with completion scheduled for December 2027. Timelines for the second and third phases have not been finalized.

The Orange County Juvenile Hall is operated by the Orange County Probation Department and serves juvenile law violators between the ages of 12 and 25.

Balfour Beatty marked the topping-out milestone with a barbecue, raffle and recognition of the project teams involved in the work.