The federal legislation that currently funnels federal aid for highway and bridge construction to the states is entitled “Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century” (or “MAP-21”). This legislation was passed as a two-year bill designed to authorize spending for FY 2013 and FY 2014. The legislation was due to expire October 31, 2014, but was extended last summer through May 31 of this year. The extension continued federal aid for highway, highway safety and public transportation programs at status quo funding levels. Not only did Congress need to deal with the expiration of this authorizing legislation last year,
Forty-six percent of highway contractors reported that motor vehicles had crashed into their construction work zones during the past year, according to the results of a new highway work zone study recently conducted by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials urged summer travel motorists to stay alert while driving through work zones, noting that drivers and passengers are more likely than highway workers to be hurt or killed in work zone accidents.“If the thought of saving someone else’s life isn’t enough to get you to slow down, just remember that you and your passengers are more likely to
It looks as though the optimists won in April. Those predicting that the March slowdown in job growth was just a temporary blip related to the difficult winter weather may have been right—in April, the U.S. economy added a healthy 223,000 jobs, and the unemployment rate dipped to 5.4%. This could be an early sign that the second quarter is reviving after economic growth fell to nearly zero in the first quarter. In April the positives certainly outweighed the negatives. Some of the industries with the strongest gains included professional/business services (up 62,000 jobs), education and health services (up 61,000
Do green schools make better learning environments? Are green schools healthier for children and teachers? Do green, healthy schools support higher student test scores? Photo by David Patterson Photography, courtesy of RB and B Architects CSU researchers will be comparing student health and performance at schools like Fossil Ridge High School in Fort Collins to those at others that do not have as many green features. Researchers at Colorado State University plan to find out. Jennifer Cross, a professor of sociology, has received a four-year, $1-million grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to analyze the effects of green school
The Conference Board’s Consumer Confidence Index, which had increased in March, declined in April. The index now stands at 95.2 (1985=100), down from 101.4 in March. The Present Situation Index decreased from 109.5 last month to 106.8 in April. The Expectations Index declined from 96.0 last month to 87.5 in April. Consumers’ appraisal of current-day conditions continued to soften. Those saying business conditions are “good” edged down from 26.7% to 26.5%. However, those claiming business conditions are “bad” also decreased from 19.4% to 18.2%.Consumers were less favorable in their assessment of the job market. Those stating jobs are “plentiful” declined
Nonresidential construction spending has now declined during each of the year’s first three months, according to a May 1 report by the U.S. Census Bureau. In March, nonresidential construction spending fell 0.1% on a monthly basis, though the pace of spending is still 4.7% higher than at the same time one year ago. Spending for the month totaled $611.8 billion on a seasonally adjusted, annualized basis. Spending estimates for both January and February were upwardly revised—the estimate for February construction spending rose from $611.5 billion to $612.4 billion and January's estimate was revised from $611.9 to $613.1.“Up until six months
For the second consecutive month, the Architecture Billings Index (ABI) indicated a modest increase in design activity in March. As a leading economic indicator of construction activity, the ABI reflects the approximate nine to twelve month lead-time between architecture billings and construction spending. The American Institute of Architects reported the March ABI score was 51.7, up from a mark of 50.4 in February. This score reflects an increase in design services (any score above 50 indicates an increase in billings). The new projects inquiry index was 58.2, up from a reading of 56.6 the previous month.“Business conditions at architecture firms
New construction starts in March retreated 13% from the previous month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $633.3 billion, according to Dodge Data & Analytics. The decline followed strong gains in January (up 9%) and February (up 17%), when construction was lifted by the start of several massive projects valued each in excess of $1 billion, including four liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal projects, a petrochemical plant and a solar power facility. While the March statistics did include the start of a $2.3-billion highway project in Florida, the boost coming from projects in excess of $1 billion was substantially
The Census Bureau released in late March its population estimates for July 2013 to July 2014 for U.S. counties and metro areas. The statistics “suggest a renewed growth in outer suburban ‘exurban’ counties, propelled by domestic migration,” said William Frey of the Brookings Institution on April 8. “The growth is perhaps a sign that the housing market is luring young adults out of the urban core, and it raises the possibility that the attraction of cities—registered for the last three years—may not be as permanent as some assumed,” Frey said. “Using a Brookings classification of counties associated with urban cores
Phil Washington, general manager of Denver's Regional Transportation District since 2009, is leaving the agency to become the head of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which oversees the third-largest public transit system in the U.S. Washington has earned praise for managing construction of RTD's $5.3-billion FasTracks program, which is building 122 miles of new commuter rail lines and dozens of stations across the Denver area. Related Links: Washinton to Leave Denver's RTD for L.A. Post Architectural Record Lakewood, Colo.-based civil and structural engineering firm Martin/Martin Inc. has promoted two associates to principal. Firm principal Jerry May is a
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