Five Construction Trends to Watch for California in 2014

Steel Suspends Berkeley Art Deco Building in Mid Air — In the year ahead, California may build its first stretch of high-speed rail track. Or it may be the year that the final nail gets driven into the $68-billion project's coffin due to unfavorable courtroom rulings and declining public support.

Image courtesy of California High-Speed Rail Authority

Bay Delta Conservation Plan

Voters are suspicious of another potential megaproject boondoggle, but boosters persist

After years of planning, state officials released the Bay Delta plan on Dec. 9. The plan calls for spending $24.75 billion to stabilize water deliveries to agricultural and municipal users while protecting the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta environment. The centerpiece, which would cost $16 billion, consists of three additional water intakes at the delta's north end, two 30-mile water-conveyance tunnels and numerous gate and forebay facilities. The twin 40-ft-dia water tunnels would be bored 150 ft below ground and convey up to 9,000 cu ft per second.

The 9,000-page Bay Delta plan, which has a 25,000-page environmental impact report, is out for public comment through April. Critics claim the project is underfunded and unsustainable. The plan "isn't a magic bullet," says Beau Goldie, CEO of the Santa Clara Valley Water District, which gets more than half its water from the Delta. But "we must also reflect on the costs of doing something different and the costs of doing nothing."

Blair leads day-to-day operations of the ENR editorial team to ensure brand quality and further best practices. He spearheads ENR's various competitions, including Best Projects and the Award of Excellence, and organizes editorial content at events including the Top Young Professionals conference. A Jesse H. Neal, Construction Media Alliance and AZBEES-award-winning writer and videographer, Blair frequently contributes to ENR’s burgeoning video channel with project tour videos and interviews with industry leaders. He is also a frequent speaker and moderator on topics such as diversity and inclusion, design and jobsite technology, construction means and methods and marketing.