All Three Major Sectors Add to February Construction StartsNon-building construction was up 87% in January 2015 and gained another 9% in February, leaving that market 89% above the first two months of last year, according to Dodge Data & Analytics. Non-residential building jumped on the bandwagon with a 42% monthly increase in the dollar value of starts, putting that market 22% above the first two months of 2014. Homebuilding also started to strengthen, with a 5% monthly gain in February, lifting that market 7% above a year ago. The non-residential building sector got a major boost from the start of
Related Links: Skanska, Forest City Ratner Sue Each Other Over World's Future Tallest Modular Building Dodge Costruction Starts Rise The value of new construction starts climbed 9% in January to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $621 billion, according to Dodge Data & Analytics. The boost was powered by an 85% monthly increase in nonbuilding construction activity. That sector in turn was driven by starts of $6 billion for two liquefied natural gas export facilities, $1.5 billion for a liquefied petroleum gas export terminal and $1 billion for a liquefied natural gas receiving terminal, all in Texas. However, starts for
CH2M Hill Wins Alaska LNG Job The Alaska LNG Project in February awarded a contract to CH2M Hill for early front-end engineering and design (FEED) services for the storage and marine terminal at a liquefied natural gas plant to be built in Nikiski, Alaska. Facilities will include storage tanks and LNG trestles with two berths for 15-20 LNG carriers per month.Last November, Chiyoda Corp. and CB&I jointly were awarded a pre-FEED contract for the liquefaction plant and the storage and shipping terminal, to be done in collaboration with ASRC Energy Services Inc. The LNG project includes an 800-mile pipeline to
While it was being built, credible reports claimed, Chinese hackers had gained access to the digital files of a "prime contractor" and stole floor plans and other vital information related to data and communications systems.
Pursuing alleged crimes in which other prosecutors have shown little interest, Loretta E. Lynch, the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York, has arrested Darius X. Johnson in Atlanta for alleged wire fraud and money laundering in selling fraudulent surety bonds.
Related Links: Edmund Cranch Obituary-Worcester Polytechnic Institute CranchEdmund T. Cranch, 92, who served as dean of Cornell University's engineering school in the 1970s, became president of Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester, Mass., and was a well-known education consultant in the private and public sectors, died on Feb. 4 in Florida, says WPI.Cranch oversaw extensive campus expansion during his 1978-1985 tenure at WPI, and doubled its revenue and endowment, the school adds.He later was president of the American Society for Engineering Education, of which he was named a fellow in 1993. Cranch was also a fellow of the American Society of
In a proposed settlement with the U.S. government over a 2014 coal-ash spill in North Carolina, Duke Energy will pay fines totaling more than $68 million, along with $34 million for ash-basin mitigation and community service, the Charlotte, N.C., utility said on Feb. 20.
Related Links: Contractor: Collapsed Ohio Overpass Had Engineer-Stamped Demo Plans Engineering Oversight Might Have Prevented Ohio Overpass Collapse, Says Bridge Inspector Kokosing Construction's preliminary internal investigations have detected an engineering error that may have contributed to the collapse of the Hopple Street Ramp Bridge and the death of Brandon Carl, according to a Feb. 13 statement.CEO William Brian Burgett apologized and said that the contractor has hired Jaansen & Spaans to design all future bridge-demolition plans in close collaboration with Kokosing staff, and shared its findings with the Ohio Dept. of Transportation and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which
Court Upholds Ruling Over Dispute Concerning Sick Hospital In mid-January, the Ohio Second Court of Appeals upheld a lower court ruling against NBBJ regarding a dispute between the architect and Miami Valley Hospital and its corporate arm devoted to the health-care sector, Premier Health Partners. In the suit, the hospital made no allegations of design negligence regarding the hospital's 12-story Heart Patient Tower, designed by NBBJ. At issue was the commercial general liability coverage under its contract with NBBJ. The dispute was triggered by an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease in 2011 at the then-new facility. One of the 11 patients
Dodge Momentum Index Up 5.8% Over January 2014's Level The Dodge Momentum Index posted a monthly decline of 4.8% this January but is still 5.8% higher than January 2014's level, according to Dodge Data & Analytics. The index measures non-residential building projects entering the planning stage and is a lead indicator of construction spending by a full year. January's monthly decline reflects a 10.2% drop in planning for new institutional buildings and a 0.4% slip in commercial-building planning. Despite the decline, three commercial and four institutional building projects exceeding $100 million entered the planning stage in January.Delays in Nuke Project
