Hensel Phelps Contract

Universal Studios has selected Hensel Phelps Construction Co. of Irvine for the expansion of CityWalk, its popular retail and dining strip.

Construction is expected to begin in the fall on the 90,000-square-foot enlargement, and will take at least a year to complete.

Jim Yeager, a spokesman for CityWalk, declined to reveal the cost of the project. He said Universal has not yet settled on the list of tenants.

None of the existing CityWalk complex will be closed during construction, which will add restaurants and shops to the area east of the Cineplex Odeon theaters, Yeager said.

Hensel Phelps is involved in two other high-profile construction projects: a $100-million expansion of the Anaheim Convention Center and construction of a 10-story courthouse near the 105 and 405 freeways.

Company spokesman Cuyler McGinley said a confidentiality agreement barred him from talking about the Universal project.