Interest groups are weighing in on a new rule the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is considering that addresses alternating-current electrical power loss at U.S. nuclear reactors.
With the launch of its $2.3-billion Terminal Renewal and Improvement Program, Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport faces one of the most daunting tasks in its nearly 40-year history.
In a jobsite trailer that serves the Terminal Renewal and Improvement Program at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, managers have created a memorial to construction site excess. A dozen rolls of outdated design development documents, each weighing 70 lb, are unused relics of how information was originally managed on the TRIP program when it kicked off just over a year ago. During the past year, a construction joint venture that oversees $800 million in projects within the $1.9-billion TRIP program has gone completely paperless. Most notably, the initiative extends beyond office-bound designers, consultants and construction coordinators to include field staff. Rather
PHOTO COURTESY OF BALFOUR BEATTY An audit of privatized contract to widen M25 highway found its procurement slow and expensive. Related Links: P3 Special Report: U.S., Canada and U.K. Push Ways to Refine Projects Transport P3s Take Lessons Learned Into New Unknowns Private Funding Finds A Way Into Other Public Spaces The United Kingdom's Private Finance Initiative, one of the most established models for public-private partnerships, is facing an overhaul as policy-makers rethink the traditional parameters of project finance, procurement and management. The shift follows years of PFI use under the Labour Party when it was in power. Since the
Texas is showing a friendlier attitude toward subcontractors. The American Subcontractors Association named Texas the state with the most improved public-policy environment for construction subcontractors in 2011. Related Links: The Policy Environment in the States Drawing from the American Subcontractors Association's (ASA) report, "The Policy Environment in the States," Texas’ ranking among states rose to No. 10 from No. 29 in terms of the public-policy environment in all 50 states.“Texas succeeded in driving legislative reforms in five major areas: electronic reverse auctions, payment bonds on public-private partnerships, risk allocation, lien claims for retainage and statutory lien forms,” said 2011-12 ASA
Construction industry groups cheered the House's Oct. 27 approval of legislation to repeal a mandate that government agencies withhold 3% of contract dollars from companies doing that work. But their focus quickly turned to the Senate, where they hope lawmakers will agree to the House measure and send it to the White House to be signed. A majority of the Senate recently voted for a different withholding-repeal bill, handicapping the prospects there for the House-approved measure.The House's strong 405-16 vote for the repeal bill has given the industry a lift. Geoff Burr, Associated Builders and Contractors vice president of federal
PHOTO COURTESY VDOT / Trevor Wrayton Innovative financing Virginia DOT plans to expand use of PPP on projects in the suburbs of D.C. Related Links: ENR's Top Owners List and Top Owners Sourcebook Features After years of steady gains fueled by record funding levels, departments of transportation across the U.S. face lean times ahead. With funds from the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act largely spent and most states grappling with declines in revenue, the impact of the economic downturn is hitting the transportation sector hard.Highway and bridge construction starts nationwide could drop to $50.2 billion in 2012 from a
Maryland has a soft spot for turtles. Not only is the turtle the mascot of the state's College Park-based university, it is a symbol of the high level of environmental stewardship demanded on its transportation projects.
The uncertain future of federal transportation funding loomed large over the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials' annual meeting, held in Detroit on Oct. 13-17. Under the theme “Leading in Lean Times,” directors of state departments of transportation discussed ways to weather the choppy financing environment.“In regards to our aging infrastructure, there's generally a pessimistic view of the future funding picture,” said Malcolm Dougherty, Caltrans acting director. U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, addressing the attendees, called on them to urge Congress to pass a multi-year highway-transit bill. “Passing the surface transportation bill will put America back to work,”
