September 20, 2021

Check out the September 20, 2021 edition of ENR, featuring part three in our Engineering Justice series, the Top 100 Green Design Firms and Contractors, the Top 400 Sourcebook, news and much more!

Engineering Justice: Third in a Series

Room to Breathe: Industrial Projects and Communities Are Challenged to Coexist

Debra K. Rubin

Mary B. Powers Stephanie Loder

Corinne Grinapol

September 16, 2021

No Comments

Rising health and climate change risks spur pushback from communities impacted by facility emissions and pollution—as owners, governments, activists and industry advisers weigh options for new levels of environmental justice.

Pulse: Project News for the Week of September 20, 2021

September 17, 2021

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Project News from Dodge Data & Analytics.

Pollution

EPA to Set PFAS Source Guidelines

Pam McFarland

September 17, 2021

No Comments

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Sept. 8 said it plans to set effluent limitations guidelines and pretreatment standards for industrial facilities that manufacture per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), as well as chromium electroplating facilities, which use PFAS in their processes.

Louisiana Contractors Brace for Impact On Labor, Materials in Efforts to Rebuild

Autumn Cafiero Giusti

September 17, 2021

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Between COVID-19, the five named storms that hit the state in 2020 and the industry’s ever-present labor shortage, Louisiana contractors have spent the last year trying to get by with a maxed-out workforce and pandemic-related supply chain shortages.

Online Equipment Marketplace eqhq Takes a Deep Dive Into Data

Jeff Rubenstone

September 16, 2021

No Comments

When looking to buy or sell a piece of construction equipment, options are often limited. There are a few big auction houses, a handful of websites and a local network of dealers, contractors and rental houses that might be interested.

Empowering Flight 93’s Tower of Voices in Shanksville, Pa., to Speak

Tom Sawyer

September 9, 2021

One Comment

The last element of the three-phase Flight 93 National Memorial —the “Tower of Voices”—may finally be adjusted to communicate this fall.

Fusion Test Produces More Power Than It Takes In

Commonwealth Fusion Systems and MIT announce successful test of key magnet technology

Scott Van Voorhis

September 8, 2021

3 Comments

A nuclear fusion startup led by scientists at MIT announces a major advance that the team believes could pave the way for the world’s first commercial fusion power reactor by the end of the decade.

Accidents

OSHA Probes Two July Fatalities at Amazon Philadelphia Jobsites

Stephanie Loder

September 2, 2021

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One contractor claims an employee was seen removing safety equipment before he fell from roof of a distribution center under construction for the online retail giant, part of an ambitious building program in the city's metro area

Economics

Labor Shortages, Supply Chain Roadblocks, COVID-19 Still Hamper Contractors

Associated General Contractors data shows 89% of contractors have difficulty finding craft workers

Jeff Yoders

September 2, 2021

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Pandemic-related material delays continue to plague construction even as the labor shortage reaches pre-pandemic levels.

NRC Cites Vogtle Safety Violations as Georgia Power Projects Construction Delays

Scott Judy

September 7, 2021

No Comments

The utility pushed back the respective in-service dates for Units 3 and 4 by several months.

Companies

Power Contractor Quanta Boosts Renewables Push With $2.4B Purchase

Scott Van Voorhis

Debra K. Rubin

September 9, 2021

No Comments

Utility construction giant is set to wrap acquisition of family-owned clean energy EPC sector leader Blattner Co. in Q4; STV deal to buy consulting firm CP&Y will close Sept. 30

Canada Drops Criminal Prosecution of Kiewit In Jobsite Fatality

Scott Van Voorhis

September 9, 2021

No Comments

British Columbia authorities say key expert witness death and changed testimonies related to rock scaler Sam Fitzpatrick's fatal accident made conviction of contractor and two ex-managers unlikely.

Flawed Welding Faulted in Mexico City Subway Collapse

Jim Parsons

September 8, 2021

No Comments

Report concludes the elevated steel structure and concrete rail bed were acting as “independent parallel beams,” and experiencing “loading conditions for which they were not designed.”

Modular construction at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport

DFW Airport Module Move Is First of its Kind in the Nation

Aileen Cho

September 16, 2021

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Six prefabricated modules forming an 80,000-sq-ft new concourse have rolled into place at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. Delivered on self-propelled modular transporters between Aug. 26 and Sept. 9, they are a first of their kind for North American airports.

Construction Workforce

Construction Loses 3,000 Jobs in August, But Jobless Rate Falls to 4.6%

Tom Ichniowski

September 3, 2021

No Comments

Job losses in nonresidential segments outpaced gains in residential sector.

Pollution Leak Taints $56B HS2 Project in UK

September 16, 2021

No Comments

As the first anniversary of work on the U.K.’s 225-km London-Birmingham high-speed railroad (HS2) is reached, news of a major bentonite leak of more than 1,500 cu m at the project’s first tunnel has revived opposition to the project.

Virginia Water Infrastructure Project Gets Boost From EPA Loan

James Leggate

September 13, 2021

One Comment

The loan, one of two EPA is providing to Hampton Roads Sanitation District, will help replenish the aquifer, address rising sea levels and help protect the Chesapeake Bay.

Associations

USGBC Seeks New President and CEO

Mahesh Ramanujam departs Nov. 1

Nadine M. Post

September 8, 2021

No Comments

Search begins for a leader of the group that developed the popular green-building certification program known as LEED.

ENR Top 100 Green Design Firms and Contractors: Green Market Growth Stunted

Sustainable design and contracting revenue dips, while healthy building standards help projects turn over a new leaf

Emell D. Adolphus

Jonathan Keller

September 15, 2021

No Comments

Sustainable design and contracting revenue dips, while healthy building standards help projects turn over a new leaf.

2021 Top 400 Sourcebook: Massachusetts Facility Is Revamped for Vaccines

Johanna Knapschaefer

September 16, 2021

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Site work is underway for a vaccine manufacturing facility in a Dartmouth, Mass., business park, set to develop new vaccines for COVID-19 and other infectious diseases.

Salt Lake City's new wastewater treatment plant

2021 Top 400 Sourcebook: Pace Picks Up on Salt Lake City Wastewater Plant

Pam McFarland

September 16, 2021

No Comments

Sundt and PCL are constructing a $700-million water reclamation facility to replace an aging 33-million-gallon-per-day wastewater treatment plant in the city.

2021 Top 400 Sourcebook: Oil Platforms Boost Production in the Gulf of Mexico

Louise Poirier

September 16, 2021

No Comments

Over the summer, BP marked the safe start-up of the Manuel project in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, the fourth of five major projects the energy company expects to deliver globally in 2021.

2021 Top 400 Sourcebook: Winds of Change at Mojave Wind Farm

Autumn Cafiero Giusti

September 16, 2021

No Comments

Work is underway by Mortenson to repower the 60-MW Oasis wind farm in Mojave, Calif., for renewable energy developer and operator Terra-Gen. After acquiring the plant in 2019, Terra-Gen brought in Mortenson as its construction partner to repower the facility, which first operated in 2004.

2021 Top 400 Sourcebook: Caltrans Updates a Coastal Corridor

Jim Parsons

September 16, 2021

No Comments

As part of an overall strategy to relieve congestion and expand mobility options in Santa Barbara County, Calif., Granite Construction is serving as construction manager for Caltrans’ upgrade of a 10.8-mile segment of U.S. Route 101 between the cities of Santa Barbara and Carpinteria.

2021 Top 400 Sourcebook: Va. Office Tower Is a Sustainable Addition

Bruce Buckley

September 16, 2021

No Comments

Skanska will break ground this fall on a nine-story office tower in Arlington, Va. The building will feature 191,000 sq ft of office space and 10,000 sq ft of retail space.

2021 Top 400 Sourcebook: Contractors Seek to Deliver Certainty to Project Owners

Emell D. Adolphus

Jonathan Keller

September 15, 2021

No Comments

Last year, as the pandemic upended the construction industry, contractors hatched a plan to come together. Determined to keep jobsites open and deemed essential around the U.S., a group of contractors partnered on turnkey coronavirus prevention protocols for all companies to use.

Viewpoint: Infrastructure Bill Needs to Boost the Worker Pipeline

Lisa Guzman, Carpenters' Union Local 58

September 8, 2021

No Comments

Carpenter apprentice Lisa Guzman, and others, say U.S. must enact funding legislation amendment to insure career success for those long underrepresented in skilled-trades—before workforce gaps grow larger.

Construction Economics for September 20, 2021

September 16, 2021

No Comments

ENR’s 20-city average cost indexes, wages and materials prices. Historical data and details for ENR’s 20 cities can be found at ENR.com/economics

Enhancing Collaboration and Surpassing Traditional Design-Build Methods with Progressive Design-Build

Earn: 1 PDH; 1 AIA LU/Elective; 0.1 IACET CEU

Progressive Design-Build is reshaping large infrastructure projects by addressing key issues with the traditional Design-Build approach. We'll explore how PDB fosters collaboration between owners, design-builders, and design teams to develop a well-defined scope and budget, plus minimizes cost overruns and reduces liability claims.

Our Publications

ENR

Cover Story

Room to Breathe: Industrial Projects and Communities Are Challenged to Coexist

News

Pulse: Project News for the Week of September 20, 2021

EPA to Set PFAS Source Guidelines

Louisiana Contractors Brace for Impact On Labor, Materials in Efforts to Rebuild

Online Equipment Marketplace eqhq Takes a Deep Dive Into Data

Empowering Flight 93’s Tower of Voices in Shanksville, Pa., to Speak

Fusion Test Produces More Power Than It Takes In

OSHA Probes Two July Fatalities at Amazon Philadelphia Jobsites

Labor Shortages, Supply Chain Roadblocks, COVID-19 Still Hamper Contractors

NRC Cites Vogtle Safety Violations as Georgia Power Projects Construction Delays

Power Contractor Quanta Boosts Renewables Push With $2.4B Purchase

Canada Drops Criminal Prosecution of Kiewit In Jobsite Fatality

Flawed Welding Faulted in Mexico City Subway Collapse

DFW Airport Module Move Is First of its Kind in the Nation

Construction Loses 3,000 Jobs in August, But Jobless Rate Falls to 4.6%

Pollution Leak Taints $56B HS2 Project in UK

Virginia Water Infrastructure Project Gets Boost From EPA Loan

USGBC Seeks New President and CEO

Top Green Design Firms

ENR Top 100 Green Design Firms and Contractors: Green Market Growth Stunted

Top 400 Contractors Sourcebook

2021 Top 400 Sourcebook: Massachusetts Facility Is Revamped for Vaccines

2021 Top 400 Sourcebook: Pace Picks Up on Salt Lake City Wastewater Plant

2021 Top 400 Sourcebook: Oil Platforms Boost Production in the Gulf of Mexico

2021 Top 400 Sourcebook: Winds of Change at Mojave Wind Farm

2021 Top 400 Sourcebook: Caltrans Updates a Coastal Corridor

2021 Top 400 Sourcebook: Va. Office Tower Is a Sustainable Addition

2021 Top 400 Sourcebook: Contractors Seek to Deliver Certainty to Project Owners

Departments

Viewpoint: Infrastructure Bill Needs to Boost the Worker Pipeline

Construction Economics

Construction Economics for September 20, 2021

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