Illinois, Ohio and Indiana logged the highest construction job losses in the nation in April, according to year-over-year data compiled by Arlington, Va.-based Associated General Contractors of America (AGC). Illinois shed 12,900 jobs in April, followed by Ohio with 9,200 job losses and Indiana with 5,600 job losses. Michigan (-4,300 jobs), Wisconsin (-3,600 jobs ) and Missouri (-200 jobs) also recorded employment declines in April, AGC reports.In month-to-month comparisons, Vermont recorded the largest percentage decrease in construction employment (-6.3%), followed by Illinois (-4.3%) and Wisconsin (4.1%). Illinois also recorded the nation's highest job losses (-7,900 jobs) between March and April.In
Photo Courtesy of FEMA Plaza Tower Elementary School, which was reduced to rubble after an EF-5 tornado raked Moore, Okla., did not have a safe room. Seven children died. Some argue that safe rooms are too costly. Related Links: Joplin Rebuilding Stymied by Dispute Over Wage Rates Tuscaloosa Grapples With Reconstruction From April Twister's Wreckage As emergency workers address the aftermath of an EF-5 tornado that struck Moore, Okla., on May 20, lawmakers and industry members are grappling with whether regions vulnerable to EF-4 and EF-5 events should require safe rooms in schools and other non-residential facilities.The Moore tornado, which
Construction backlogs in the Midwest declined by 13%, from 6.34 months to 5.51 months, in the first quarter of 2013, according to year-over-year data compiled by Arlington, Va.-based Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC). The period marked the second consecutive quarter of declining backlogs in the region, a trend ABC attributes to slow growth in states such as Illinois and Wisconsin. “The economies of those two states are among the most fragile in the nation,” says ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu.At present, Midwest backlogs are at their lowest levels in three years, according to ABC data. All other regions showed positive growth
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Thursday announced plans to construct a $173-million stadium for DePaul University's Blue Demons adjacent to McCormick Place, the city's largest convention center. The stadium, slated to break ground next year, is part of a city initiative to create an entertainment and tourist district near McCormick Place. In addition to restaurants, the program envisions a pair of new hotels for the area, located south of the city's Loop.In February, Chicago's Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority announced plans for the first of the two hotels, a $400-million, 1,200-room facility intended to boost convention activity in Chicago. The
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has opened an investigation into Schaumburg, Ill.-based Power Construction Co. as a result of a fatality that occurred at a construction site at Evanston's Northwestern University on Thursday. Michael Kerr, 57, of Dyer, Ind., died after being struck by a wood beam that fell from six stories at the site of the Bienen School of Music and the School of Communication, a project that broke ground last summer. Police reports indicate a construction crane knocked the 70-lb., 16-ft-long beam off the building at about 7:15 a.m. Kerr, who was struck in the head
Although their billings declined in March, architects continue to see growing demand for design services across all regions of the U.S., according to the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Architectural Billing Index (ABI). AIA reports the ABI score slipped from 54.9 in February to 51.9 in March, but notes that any score above 50 indicates increasing demand for design work. March marked the eighth consecutive month the index scored above 50.“Business conditions in the construction industry have generally been improving over the last several months,” says AIA Chief Economist Kermit Baker.“But as we have continued to report, the recovery has
Related Links: Full Text of the Complaint (PDF) Official Website of the St. Croix Crossing The low bidder for an approach to the St. Croix River Crossing, a planned $690-million span between Minnesota and Wisconsin, has filed a federal lawsuit alleging the Minnesota Dept. of Transportation illegally selected a team with a more aggressive affirmative-action program for a bid that will cost the state nearly $6 million more.The suit filed by C.S. McCrossan, Maple Grove, Minn., alleges MnDOT violated a federal rule that precludes applying disadvantaged business enterprise (DBE) criteria for design-bid-build projects on design-build projects, such as the St.
Construction employment increased in 30 states in March but only one Midwest state, Wisconsin, was among those that logged gains, according to year-over-year data compiled by Arlington, Va.-based Associated General Contractors of America (AGC). Moreover, growth was relatively modest in Wisconsin, which added only 1,000 jobs (+ 1.1%) in March. Losses were mild in Missouri (-800, -5.2%) but significantly steeper in Ohio, (-9,500, -5.2%), Illinois (-8.500, -4.4%), Michigan (-4,000, -3.1%) and Indiana (-3,100, -2.5%).Midwest states also fared poorly in month-to-month comparisons. While Indiana (+900, 0.7) and Wisconsin (+200, 0.2%) eked small gains over February levels, Missouri (-3,400, -3.2%), Ohio (-3,300,
Ohio State University (OSU) has selected a team led by Messer Construction to undertake construction of a $370-million, 3,200-bed dormitory complex on its Columbus campus. The team was selected following a competitive review process that reduced project costs by $26 million, according to Jay Kasey, OSU's senior vice president for administration and planning. OSU issued a request for qualifications to competing firms in early December.In addition to Cincinnati-based Messer's Columbus office, team members include Miles-McClellan Construction. Columbus; Jacobs Engineering Group Inc, Pasadena, Calif.; Brailsford & Dunlavey, Washington, D.C; HKS Inc., Dallas; Schooley Caldwell Associates, Columbus; KZF Design Inc., Cincinnati; and
The City of Chicago and baseball's Chicago Cubs on Sunday announced an agreement to perform $300 million in renovations to the ball club's 99-year-old Wrigley Field and develop $200 million in hospitality, office and retail space on parcels adjacent to the iconic structure. Though plans must be formally submitted to Chicago's City Council, Planning Commission, and Landmarks Commission, the deal effectively ends years of negotiations between the city and Cubs management to upgrade Wrigley Field, the nation's second-oldest ball park, while providing additional sources of revenue to the Cubs franchise.In broad strokes, plans call for extending the park's frontage along