Concrete crashed onto a Washington, D.C., train station platform during the evening rush hour Nov. 17, but no one was injured. Investigators are checking why the chunks of concrete fell from the ceiling of the Farragut North Metro station in downtown Washington, D.C., an underground Metrorail station. The largest chunk was the “size of a human head,” says a Washington, D.C,. fire department spokesperson. The concrete fell approximately 25 ft to the platform, creating a debris field that was 20 ft across, he said. No one was injured. Investigators are homing in on the possibility that construction crews doing roadwork
Republicans’ takeover of the House and gains in the Senate could spell bad news for construction’s goal of seeing large funding increases for infrastructure programs in 2011. Graphic: Walter Konefal With some races still unsettled, the GOP projects a net increase of 65 seats, which would total 243 House seats. Democrats did hang on to the Senate, though their majority dwindled to 53 from 59. Among the Democrats’ House casualties were three committee chairs, including Transportation and Infrastructure panel leader James Oberstar (Minn.), a fixture on the committee for more than 30 years. Jeffrey Shoaf, the Associated General Contractors’ senior
This year started out well, with a stimulus jolt to the depressed homebuilding and public-works markets. But it ended badly when the tax credits to home buyers expired, federal stimulus spending fell short of expectations, and the non-residential building market tanked all on its own. As a result, 2010 will probably become known in the economic lexicon as “the stalled recovery.” In a word, what stalled is housing, which traditionally leads the construction industry out of a recession. A year ago economists were predicting 30% increases in the housing market, but that turned into a mere 6% gain, not enough
With a split Congress set to take office in the wake of the Nov. 2 elections, labor unions are setting their legislative agenda firmly on an issue they believe members of all parties can rally behind: jobs. Passing the overdue highway-transit bill will be a major focus for organized labor. With Republicans' taking control of the House and increasing their number of seats in the Senate in 2011, another top labor-related bill, the Employee Free Choice Act, faces even longer odds than it did this year. That bill has been a top priority of organized labor, but has drawn strong
Investigators have found large disparities in the capacities and public perceptions of two water treatment plants built by the same contractor as part of the Iraq reconstruction program. A report released on Oct. 28 by the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR) evaluates the Nassiriya water treatment plant and Ifraz water treatment plant. The Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) awarded two separate task orders in April 2004 to a joint venture of Fluor Corp., Irving, Texas, and London-based AMEC to construct the Nassiriya plant for $277 million and the Ifraz plant for $185 million. The projects were completed in September
State departments of transportation have been hit with a double whammy in recent years. In lieu of a long-term federal surface transportation reauthorization bill, the federal government continues to dole out money through Highway Trust Fund extensions, making it difficult for DOTs to plan for the future. At the same time, the recession has tightened the screws on state coffers, leaving some to wonder if significant capacity work is even possible in the coming years. Photo: Courtesy of Pany/NJ New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie cancelled the $8.7-billion ARC Trans-Hudson Express Tunnel project between New Jersey and Manhattan, citing a lack
The construction market has yet to see signs of recovery from the current recession, but the recovery may be coming next year if factors such as employment and bank lending fall into place, according to a forecast released by McGraw-Hill Construction. Photo: Bruce Buckley For ENR If construction employment shows growth, banks loosen credit, and state and local governments get a handle on budget difficulties, next year could see an increase of 8% in new starts. Robert Murray, MHC’s vice president of economic affairs, foresees an 8% increase in total construction starts to $445.5 billion in 2011. Much of that
Although much of the health-care sector has hit the doldrums during the recession, some major systems are seizing on the down market to move ahead with projects and reap big savings. Highly competitive pricing from contractors and favorable financing terms have provided added urgency for some facility planners looking to get the most for their money. Photo: Courtesy of Parkland Health & Hospital System The Parkland Memorial replacement hospital in Dallas is using Build America Bonds. Photo: Courtesy of NAVFAC Southwest Costs for a new hospital at Camp Pendleton are roughly $70 million under estimates. Related Links: The Top Owners
With more than a decade of data on sustainability documented at pilot projects around the state, Texas school districts are buying into the promise of green building for K-12 facilities in a big way. Many independent school districts have pursued their first green projects in recent years, while early adopters are pushing for even higher performance standards on upcoming projects. Despite an environment of strained budgets, many observers note that school districts are looking beyond the initial costs of green building in order to reap the long-term rewards. Gail Vittori, co-director of the Center for Maximum Potential Building Systems in
The construction market has yet to see signs of recovery from the current recession, but it’s coming next year, according to a forecast released by McGraw-Hill Construction. Photo: Bruce Buckley for ENR Robert Murray says the recovery has been delayed by a stalled economy, but should change next year. Robert Murray, vice president of economic affairs, foresees an 8% increase in total construction starts to $445.5 billion in 2011. Much of that prediction is based on the single-family housing market finally seeing substantial growth with starts rising 27% to $126.7 billion. Similarly, multifamily housing starts are predicted to rise 24%
