Photo Courtesy of the Panama Canal Authority Italians Start Delivery of Gates for Panama Canal ExpansionThe $5-billion Panama Canal expansion reached a major milestone on Aug. 19, when the first four of 16 rolling gates arrived on-site from Italy. The third set of locks comprises 16 gates, which weigh about 3,300 tons each. Constructed by subcontractor Cimolai SpA, the locks are unloaded at the Atlantic side of the canal and rolled off the ship onto a special reception dock. Each gate, 10 meters wide, 30 m high and 58 m long, will take about two to three months to install.Duke

Photo Courtesy Colorado DOT Photos Courtesy of Colorado DOT Colarodo's DOT Prefabs Bridge Replacement and Rolls It Into Place Over the WeekendThe Colorado Dept. of Transportation placed a new bridge over Interstate 70 in Denver on the weekend of July 20 in the state's first-ever rolling bridge-replacement project.CDOT closed I-70 in both directions on July 19, and a crew of more than 100 workers from contractor Kiewit Infrastructure, Denver, demolished the aging Pecos Street bridge. Built in 1965, it was in poor condition. Netherlands-based heavy-cargo transportation specialist Mammoet started moving the 4.8-million-lb replacement bridge onto I-70 at noon on Saturday,

Employment Picture Improves Construction's unemployment rate dropped under 10%—hitting 9.8% in June—for the first time in more than four years as the industry added 13,000 jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Construction's jobless rate was an improvement over May's 10.8% and down sharply from June 2012's level of 12.8%.The last time construction's rate was below 10% was in September 2008. All construction sectors gained jobs in June, led by specialty trades, which added 7,200. Heavy and civil engineering construction picked up 5,600. The residential building segment, however, gained just 100 jobs last month, BLS says. Discovery of Burial

Total construction starts through the first five months of this year were $187.6 billion, down 3% from the same period of 2012, according to the latest data published by the Dodge division of McGraw Hill Construction Analytics. The May data shows a 29% year-to-date decline in non-building construction coupled with an 8% decline in non-residential building construction outweighing a 32% increase in the dollar value of new home construction.The year-to-date decline in Dodge starts reflects a steep decline in the dollar amount for new electric-utility projects relative to a strong first half of 2012, says Robert Murray, chief economist for

Industry Unemployment Rate Falls for a Third Year in a RowConstruction's unemployment rate fell in May to 10.8%, the third consecutive annual decline for the May data. As the industry added a net 7,000 jobs last month, it was also the lowest monthly rate recorded by the Bureau of Labor Statistics since October 2008.BLS says construction-job gains came in nearly all industry segments, paced by the residential specialty-trade-contractor sector, which added 4,600 jobs. The heavy-civil engineering-construction sector picked up 3,100 jobs. "Healthy job performance in this segment is considered a leading indicator for a number of other construction segments," says

Photo Courtesy of The University of Maine Related Links: Maine To Launch Offshore Floating-Turbine Prototype University of Maine VolturnUS 1:8 home page Wind-Tower Model Sets Sail Aiming to put its wind generator where the breeze blows the strongest, researchers at the University of Maine on May 31 launched VolturnUS 1:8, a scale-model wind turbine designed to convert to electricity offshore wind from the Gulf of Maine. The prototype, a 65-ft-tall tower supported by three hollow concrete tubes, is designed to a 1:8 scale and has 20 kilowatts of capacity; successful trials will lead to a 300-ft-tall full-scale turbine capable of

April Construction Starts Slip, Down 5% From 2012's Figures New construction starts slipped 1% in April, settling back to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $475 billion, according to McGraw Hill Construction's latest Dodge starts data. Through the first four months of 2013, construction starts were down 5% overall from 2012, including a 33% drop in new starts for non-building construction and an 8% decline in non-residential building starts.N.J. Engineer Birdsall's Assets Are Set for Auction on June 5 An auction is set for June 5 in New Jersey for the remaining assets of Birdsall Services Group, the Eatontown, N.J.,

Photo by AP Wideworld Related Links: One World Trade Center's New Spire Will be Coverless Video: Finishing Touch on One World Trade Center (NBC Today) Spire Tops Off One World Trade Center in ManhattanThe reconstruction of Lower Manhattan reached an important symbolic marker on May 10 as ironworkers bolted the final two sections of a spire into place at One World Trade Center. The building rises from the northwest corner of the 16.5-acre site, where the Twin Towers were felled by a terrorist attack on Sept. 11, 2001.Now standing 1,776 ft tall, the structure is the dominant building in Lower

Construction Industry Starts Show No Gain Over First Quarter The dollar value of total construction starts through the first quarter of this year was $100.5 billion, according to the latest Dodge data compiled by McGraw-Hill Construction. That nearly matches the $100.9 billion set during the first three months of 2012. The no-gain scenario is the result of a 9% decline in non-residential building and a 23% decline in non-building construction balancing out a 33% increase in residential work.This year's first-quarter numbers could have fallen below 2012 if not for a 42% monthly jump in the non-building sector in March. That

Atlanta Names Architect for New $1-Billion Football Stadium The Georgia World Congress Center Authority has named 360 Architecture, Kansas City, Mo., as the design firm for a proposed $1-billion, operable-roof stadium for the Atlanta Falcons. The GWCCA owns and operates the Georgia Dome. Falcons owner Arthur Blank will fund $800 million of the project's cost, while the city's development authority, Invest Atlanta, will finance the remainder with $200 million in revenue bonds.California Settles Lawsuit Over$68-Billion High-Speed-Rail Job The California High-Speed Rail Authority settled a key lawsuit over the first section of a $68-billion project. Several interest groups representing Madera and