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Panel: Calif. HSR still faces risks but is more realistic now
AGC SmartBrief Newsfeed
22 May 2012 09:25:17 CDT
California's high-speed rail project still faces risks with construction and funding issues, but the latest blueprint from the state's High-Speed Rail Authority is an important step for improvement, according to an independent review panel. Integrating existing urban rail networks with the bullet-train system and constructing an initial route in Los Angeles ahead of schedule are two of the plan's projects that would be beneficial, the panel said. Los Angeles Times (5/18)
| $4B Ill. coal-fired power plant is 99% complete
AGC SmartBrief Newsfeed
22 May 2012 09:25:17 CDT
Construction of the $4 billion Prairie State Energy Campus in Illinois is 99% finished. It will be the biggest coal-fired power plant built in the U.S. in 30 years and is expected to generate 1,600 megawatts of electricity for more than 2.5 million customers in eight states. "It's been a big driver in construction jobs in our area for the last few years," said Bruce Holland, president of Holland Construction Services, the project's contractor. Belleville News-Democrat (Ill.) (5/21)
| $500M hospital built to withstand destructive storm in Joplin, Mo.
AGC SmartBrief Newsfeed
22 May 2012 09:25:17 CDT
Joplin, Mo., is rebuilding the tornado-damaged Mercy Hospital to withstand severe tornadoes like the ones that devastated the area a year ago. The 10-story building will have eight stories above ground and two below; generators enclosed in a tornado-resistant concrete structure; stronger windows, and multiple power sources. The safety precautions will add between $8 million and $12 million to construction costs, bringing the total price to about $500 million. Springfield News-Leader (Mo.) (5/20)
| Troubled Md. transit center now faces questions on concrete work
AGC SmartBrief Newsfeed
22 May 2012 09:25:17 CDT
The Silver Spring Transit Center project in Maryland has been delayed for years by problems with utility work, site contamination, political squabbles and red tape. The cost has risen from $35 million to $112 million, and the original 2003 opening date has been delayed indefinitely. In the latest round, concrete work has become an issue, with some saying that slabs may not have cured properly, and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority claiming the concrete for the floors of the three-story structure is too thin in some places and too thick in others. However, Foulger-Pratt, the contractor, says the work is good, the building is "more than structurally sound" and that concrete sealant could address any issues. The Washington Post (5/20)
| Regulatory, funding challenges stifle construction of biomass plants
AGC SmartBrief Newsfeed
22 May 2012 09:25:17 CDT
Engineering News-Record (5/21)
| Westfield: Retailers could open in revamped WTC by March 2015
AGC SmartBrief Newsfeed
22 May 2012 09:25:17 CDT
Reuters (5/22)
| Middle East nations award $2B in airport contracts within first five months of 2012
AGC SmartBrief Newsfeed
22 May 2012 09:25:17 CDT
Saudi Gazette (5/21)
| Poll: Jobs will grow faster than previously believed
AGC SmartBrief Newsfeed
22 May 2012 09:25:17 CDT
An average of 188,000 jobs will be created each month this year, up from an earlier estimate of 170,000, according to a National Association for Business Economics survey. In addition, NABE projects unemployment will drop to 8% by the fourth quarter. "Expectations for housing, vehicle sales, employment and industrial production all improved in the current survey," economist Shawn DuBravac said. The Hill (5/21)
| $1.5B in new projects boost Minn.'s construction industry
AGC SmartBrief Newsfeed
22 May 2012 09:25:17 CDT
Minnesota has lost nearly 40,000 construction jobs since 2006, so building the Vikings' $975 million stadium and nearly 80 public infrastructure projects supported by $496 million in capital spending will give the region a much-needed economic boost and create about 25,000 construction jobs. "These measures are certainly a step in the right direction, but we have a long way to go to recover," said David Semerad, chief executive officer of the Minnesota chapter of the Associated General Contractors of America. Star Tribune (Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn.) (5/21)
| NCDOT projects $30M in savings from interchange's "turbine" design
AGC SmartBrief Newsfeed
22 May 2012 09:25:17 CDT
Using a "turbine" interchange design instead of a four-level stacked model will save North Carolina about $30 million when it upgrades the Interstate 85/485 interchange outside Charlotte. The design calls for 18 bridges, along with high-speed, high-capacity ramps that resemble a whirlpool. The design is relatively rare in the U.S. Engineering News-Record (5/21)
| Mass. implements ABC on Boston's $174M commuter-rail project
AGC SmartBrief Newsfeed
22 May 2012 09:25:17 CDT
Accelerated bridge construction is being used on a $174 million, 9.2-mile commuter-rail project in Boston. Crews used ABC to replace two bridges and used self-propelled modular transporters to put each new span into place. The project is expected to be completed by December, ahead of the assumed March 2013 deadline. Engineering News-Record (5/21)
| Calif. cap-and-trade rule moves to take effect by January
AGC SmartBrief Newsfeed
22 May 2012 09:25:17 CDT
The cap-and-trade program in California is expected to take effect in January, but there are many moving pieces that need to come together first, writes Jon Costantino, senior adviser of law firm Manatt, Phelps & Phillip. The state legislature is discussing spending plans for revenue the program expects to bring in and legal challenges against the program are being taken up. Environmental Leader (5/21)
| Guam buildup would get $369M under House version of Defense Act
AGC SmartBrief Newsfeed
22 May 2012 09:25:17 CDT
The version of the 2013 National Defense Authorization act approved by the House last week would spend $369 million for military and infrastructure improvements on Guam as part of a plan to transfer 5,000 U.S. Marines from Japan to Guam in the next few years. Work would include construction of a hangar at Andersen Air Force Base. The Senate still has to consider the bill. However, the White House has said it would veto the House version. The Pacific Daily News (Guam) (5/20)
| May 22 webinar: "Up, Down or Sideways? The Outlook for Materials, Equipment and Labor Costs"
AGC SmartBrief Newsfeed
22 May 2012 09:25:17 CDT
Materials prices are again on a roller coaster, as oil and metals prices drop -- for now -- but several building materials suddenly cost more. Where are prices headed next? Learn the views of three experts, and ask your own questions, between 2 and 3:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, May 22, during AGC’s webinar, "Up, Down or Sideways? The Outlook for Materials, Equipment and Labor Costs," with AGC Chief Economist Ken Simonson; Tom Kloza, Oil Price Information Service; and Kathryn Thompson, Thompson Research Group. Sign up today.
| NLRB’s "quickie election" rule deemed invalid for lack of quorum
AGC SmartBrief Newsfeed
22 May 2012 09:25:17 CDT
The National Labor Relations Board’s new rule revising election procedures in union representation cases was declared invalid by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on May 14. The rule, often called the "quickie election" or "ambush election" rule because it expedites the election process to the advantage of unions, took effect on April 30 but has since been suspended. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Coalition for a Democratic Workplace, both AGC-supported organizations, brought the lawsuit challenging the rule on several procedural and substantive counts. The court ruled on only one of those counts, finding that the Board lacked the necessary quorum when it voted to adopt the final rule. Read more.
| No person will make a great business who wants to do it all himself or get all the credit.
AGC SmartBrief Newsfeed
22 May 2012 09:25:17 CDT
Andrew Carnegie,Scottish-American industrialist
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