Related Links: Aviation Board Scraps Proposals for New Orleans Terminal Board Hits Reset Button on New Orleans Airport Contract Bid protests remind us of video reviews by the referees at a football game: The review slows down the action to provide a clearer picture of what occurred, even if the interpretation isn't always as definitive as hoped. So, when a review committee scoring the construction manager-at-risk competition for a new terminal at New Orleans airport flubbed its first try, the losing team protested and later prevailed.The full New Orleans Aviation Board now must make a final decision, hopefully with some
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
Related Links: States Laws Related to Immigration and Immigrants The U.S. badly needs a comprehensive reform of its federal immigration policies, instead of leaving each state to cope with recent crises on its own, which is what's been happening lately. Since comprehensive reform is dead for 2014, the Obama administration may make a limited gesture toward reform via executive order or regulation that grants undocumented immigrants more leeway to remain in the U.S. and improves border security. If that happens, some Republican opponents may throw up their hands in exasperation with the president, although each side's basic position on these
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
New York Photo Courtesy of U.S. Dept. of Energy New Direction: New York's highest court has upheld local bans on shale gas fracturing. Related Links: http://newyork.construction.com/ ENR New York http://newyork.construction.com/new_york_construction_news/ ENR New York Featured News Court Upholds Towns' Rights to Ban Fracking The hydraulic fracturing sector is assessing the impact of a ruling late last month by New York state's highest court that municipalities have the right to stop the practice.At issue were challenges to bans on oil-and-gas production activities, including shale gas drilling, that were enacted in the upstate towns of Middlefield and Dryden. In a 5-2 decision on
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
Related Links: Plan to Refill Highway Fund Stokes Conflict in Congress If Congress ever progresses beyond its current partisan dysfunction, perhaps we will look back on June 18 as a turning point. That was the day Sens. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) proposed raising the federal gasoline tax 12¢ a gallon over two years as a way to end the impending deficit of the Highway Trust Fund, the key source of highway and mass transit construction funds shared with the states. The tax hasnot been raised since 1993, when Congress upped it from 14¢ to 18.4¢; fuel-efficient cars
Seeking to boost its profile in construction and in the energy sector, global engineer SNC-Lavalin, Montreal, said June 23 it has agreed to acquire U.K.-based Kentz Corp. Ltd. for about $2 billion.The addition of Kentz, with 14,500 employees in 36 countries, would create a giant with 44,500 staff and backlog of more than $12 billion.The combination "will make SNC-Lavalin a leading global E&C player in the oil-and-gas sector, with a greater presence in key growth regions," said the Canadian firm, which expects to close the deal in the third quarter.Maxim Sytchev, E&C sector analyst for Dundee Securities, Toronto, termed Kentz
Related Links: 2013 ENR Viewpoint: Building Flood Risk Reduction Infrastructure Pays Off and Can Even Pay Back, By Maj. Gen. Merdith W.B. "Bo" Temple (Ret.) and Wendi Goldsmith Suntec Concrete Inc., a Phoenix concrete construction firm, has elevated Derek Wright to president. A 24-year veteran of the 700-employee contractor and formerly vice president, he started as a carpenter. Wright succeeds Suntec founder Jerry Barnier, who remains in an executive role. Suntec ranks at No. 140 on ENR’s list of the Top 600 Specialty Contractors, with $125 million in 2012 revenue. The firm specializes in structural, tilt panel and foundation construction.
