While some signs suggest the economic downturn has reached bottom, construction activity in the New York region still languishes with little optimism for a quick rebound. �It�s very much a mixed picture in terms of what to expect,� says Kenneth D. Simonson chief economist of Associated General Contractors of America in Arlington, Va. �Construction is now at or close to its low point and should start showing improvement in most categories by the end of 2011.� Related Links: How To Get Work in 2011 Data from McGraw-Hill Analytics indicates a slight decline in new starts in 2011 as compared to

Work on military bases and other public projects has kept many Maryland contractors busy during the recession. “Our area has always done better than others, but we are still on the downslope with government work,” says John Barotti, senior vice president of Skanska USA Building in Rockville, Md. “If you look at the forecast for the next year, I don’t see as many projects as in the past.” Barotti adds that the Base Realignment and Closure and Army Transformation projects are winding down. “There is still a lot of work associated with the BRAC realignment aftereffects,” adds David Birtwistle, vice

With the Florida Dept. of Transportation poised to start an estimated $170 million in civil construction work with the first of more than $2 billion in federal dollars for America�s first high-speed rail system, the agency�s High-Speed Rail Industry Forum Nov. 8-9 in Orlando drew more than 1,500 attendees, many of whom were interested in winning future contracts. The purpose of the two-day forum was to inform interested parties about the contracts to be let, the bidding schedule and requirements. Photo by Debra Wood Attendees to the forum could board a Siemens high-speed rail train. Image courtesy FDOT On the

Poised to begin spending the first of more than $2 billion in federal dollars for America’s first high-speed rail project on civil work, Florida Dept. of Transportation officials brought together more than 1,500 people interested in participating on the project to inform them about the contracts to be let, the bidding schedule and requirements. However, as U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson said in Orlando at the first day's session on Nov. 8, “a cloud of uncertainty” hovers over the Florida High Speed Rail Industry Forum in Orlando, with Gov.-elect Rick Scott (R) promising to kill a proposed Orlando-Tampa rail line if

The New York Building Congress recently released its annual construction forecast, predicting an increase in construction activity for 2011. But Building Congress President Dick Anderson tempered the optimism by saying it�s an outlook that depends heavily on public spending at a time when those dollars may be harder to obtain. “It’s the most guarded outlook we have put out since we started the series a decade ago,” he said. The Building Congress’ New York City Construction Outlook 2010-2012 annual forecast and analysis reports in 2010 a 23% drop occurred in construction spending from 2008, $23.7 billion down from $31 billion,

Full-scale, 3D simulation is letting physicians and administrators “walk through” a $200-million Raleigh, N.C., campus regeneration project while it is still in the schematic design phase. Image: Courtesy Fullcon Solutions Visualization company offers access to high-end, CAD-driven, life-size, six-sided simulation for designers and clients to use to confer with each other from disparate sites. “It lets them virtually be in the space,” says Andy King, design director at BBH Design, Raleigh, which employed the tool to help its clients understand the planned structure and spatial relationships. “We found it very beneficial,” says Chad T. Lefteris, vice president of support services

A construction worker died as a result of injuries suffered when a piece of steel plate fell on him during construction of a new water tower for the City of Pryor, Okla. Early on the morning of August 12, welder Robert Shane Hoesli, 21, of Clyde, Kan., was standing on an I-beam pallet holding three half-ton steel places, which would form the stem of the water tower, says Corp. Sue Greninger with the Prior Police Dept. She adds that the men had secured two of the 10-ft tall by 12-ft wide, curved steel plates and were attempting to get the

Construction activity in South Texas has fallen off, mirroring other parts of the country. “We are seeing stuff that we were chasing and thought would definitely be going this year pushed back into March of next year,” says Marty Massey, vice president of operations for Skanska USA Building in Harlingen. Skanska is working on the $22-million Texas A&M University Kingsville Citrus Center in Weslaco, set to wrap up in December, and a $25-million, 110,000-sq-ft Texas Dept. of Public Safety headquarters building, also in Weslaco. Rene Capistran, South Texas president for SpawGlass in Harlingen, adds that activity is slower than last

When an ambulance rushed fatally wounded President John F. Kennedy to Parkland Hospital in Dallas in 1963, the facility sported the latest equipment and a skilled team of clinicians. Image: HDR+Corgan. An exterior design rendering of the Parkland Hospital, designed by HDR and Corgan. Image: HDR+Corgan. An aerial view of the massive Parkland replacement hopsital project, to break ground this fall. Even today, the 54-year-old hospital continues to excel in care delivery, but with the passage of time, the physical plant has struggled to keep up with changing technologies, codes and an increasing numbers of patients. But that’s about to

Health care remains one the state’s stronger market segments, with several megajobs under way at urban hospital campuses or soon to break ground. A few other projects are moving forward. “There are a lot of large projects starting to get going,” says Allan Dedman, vice president and regional director of health care for J.E. Dunn Construction Co. of Austin. “And I am starting to see some movement in rural hospitals.” J.E. Dunn, for instance, recently received a contract to build the $17-million Golden Plains Community Hospital in Borger, Texas. “It’s a pretty vibrant market,” adds Brian Freeman, executive vice president