Photo by AP Wideworld Early damage estimates top $1 billion from a magnitude-6.0 quake that struck Napa, Calif., on Aug. 24. Nearly 100 residential and commercial buildings have been condemned in Napa County due to structural damage, mostly to unreinforced masonry buildings. However, engineers are investigating why some recently reinforced buildings also sustained damage.Emergency rooms treated more than 200 patients, mostly for minor injuries, but there were no fatalities. Around 90 broken water mains are being repaired, and some roadways buckled, but all of the area's bridges remain safe, according to Caltrans. Dozens of minor aftershocks continue to rock Napa's

ENR Index declines 4.4% in July. Related Links: Engineering News-Record Architectural Record Economics Construction Momentum Falters The Dodge Momentum Index erased the gains made over the past two months, falling 4.4% in July. This marks the index's first decline in four months, according to McGraw Hill Construction Dodge. While the index stumbled in July, on a year-over-year basis it remains 16.5% higher than a year ago. The index measures non-residential building projects entering the planning stage, which has proved to be a leading indicator of construction activity by a full year. 

Markets Gain Momentum McGraw Hill Construction's Dodge Momentum Index gained 3.3% in June, its third consecutive monthly increase following a weak first quarter. The index measures non-residential building projects entering the planning stage, which is a lead indicator of construction spending by a full year, according to Dodge. The growing volume of projects at the planning stage suggests that non-residential construction starts should be headed up over the remainder of the year.U.S. Firm Wins Contract To Build Storage Facility in the Ukraine Holtec International, Marlton, N.J., and Ukraine's nuclear utility, Energoatom, have signed a contract to build the Ukraine's first

Source: Associated Builders and Contractors, Construction Backlog Indicator Average backlog dropped to 8.1 months, according to the ABC's CBI. ABC Sees Solid Q2 Trends The Associated Builders and Contractors' Construction Backlog Indicator declined 2.8% during the first quarter of this year. The quarterly drop left the CBI with an average backlog of 8.1 months, down from 8.3 months during the previous quarter but up from 7.9 months a year ago, according to ABC. The CBI reflects the amount of commercial and industrial construction work under contract but not yet completed."Despite a decline in overall backlog during the first quarter of

The U.S. Energy Dept. announced on July 1 a conditional commitment for a $150-million loan guarantee to support construction of the 360-MW Cape Wind offshore wind project in Massachusetts.If built, the planned project would be the first commercial-scale offshore U.S. wind facility. It would use 130 offshore wind turbines, each 3.6 MW, to provide up to 75% of the power needed for Cape Cod, Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard and would create about 400 construction jobs. Under the project's proposed financing structure, DOE would be part of a group of public and private lenders.

A Weak May Drops Total Starts 1% Below a Year Ago New construction starts in May dropped 5% below the previous month, according to McGraw Hill Construction Dodge. The monthly decline dragged the dollar value of total construction starts through the first five months of this year 1% below the same period of 2013. However, all the year-to-year decline came from a 13% year-to-year drop in non-building construction. During the same five-month period, the dollar value of non-residential building starts was up 5%, while the residential building market rose 2%. In the non-building market, electric utility work plunged 35% for

Unemployment Still Shrinking The construction industry's jobless rate continues to decline, dipping to 8.6% in May from April's 9.4%, as the industry added 6,000 jobs. The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics' latest employment report, released on June 6, also showed that construction's jobless rate last month improved from its May 2013 level of 10.8%. Moreover, last month's rate was the best May since 2008, when it also was 8.6%. The industry's jobs results were mixed among its various sectors. The strongest segments were heavy-civil engineering construction and residential specialty-trade contractors, which each picked up 3,200 positions. The weakest were non-residential

Construction Recovery Picks Up Total construction starts in April rose 3% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $533.7 billion, according to McGraw Hill Construction Dodge. The April numbers were lifted by a 14%rise in non-residential work and a 4% hike in home building, which were both muted by a 14% decline in non-building work. On a year-to-date basis, total construction through the first four months of 2014 shows no gain over last year's level (see chart). Winners of Rebuild By Design Competition Announced On June 2, U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan named six winners of a

Photo Courtesy 9/11 Memorial Communications 9/11 Museum Opens After a Bumpy Road to Completion Fought over, stalled, reconceived and finally built, the 180,000-sq-ft National September 11 Memorial Museum has followed a tortuous path since it was first proposed in architect Daniel Libeskind's 2003 master plan for Ground Zero. While nearly every part of the redevelopment effort at the World Trade Center site in lower Manhattan has generated debate, the mostly subgrade museum, which opened to the public 20 months late on May 21, has been a lightning rod for a flood of criticism and controversy. Superstorm Sandy inundated the entire

First Quarter Construction Starts Down 2% From a Year Ago The dollar value of total construction starts during 2014's first quarter was $107.4 billion, or 2% less than a year ago, according to McGraw Hill Construction Dodge. After making double-digit gains last year, the residential construction market is up just 3% over 2013's first quarter. That increase was offset by a 4% decline in nonresidential building starts and an 8% drop in the value of non-building construction. "The slow start for construction activity in early 2014 can be attributed to tough winter weather ... and the hesitant upturn over the