October 16, 2023

In comments about the market’s most pressing challenges, Top 600 Specialty Contractors are widely optimistic that the worst of pandemic-induced delays are done—buttressed by another year of double-digit revenue growth for listed firms.

Obituary

Tribute: Beverly Willis, 95—Architecture Pioneer, Advocate for Women

October 8, 2023

Pam McFarland Jim Parsons

Design firm owner, ahead of her time in promoting wider use of new techniques and technologies and more recognition of women professionals, died on Oct. 1 in Branford, Conn.

Workforce

Groups Seek Industry Diversity As Reality, Rather Than Goal

October 9, 2023

Construction Inclusion Week, set for Oct. 16-20, has more than 5,000 contractor and other participants signed up this year; while leaders on Oct. 3 launched AEC Unites, a nonprofit focused on recruitment of Black professionals and sustained hiring of Black-owned companies.

Electric Utilities

California Officials Consider Shrinking PG&E Plan to Bury Power Lines

October 4, 2023

The utility company said two years ago it would bury 10,000 line miles to prevent wildfires, but regulators now balk at proposed rate increases to pay for the work.

Military Projects

Navy Picks Eight Firms for $1B in IDIQ Contracts

September 26, 2023

Work is expected to take place primarily in Washington state through October 2025 at four naval stations under firm fixed price task order awards.

Clean Energy Construction

Three States Link Offshore Wind Energy Procurement To Cut Costs

October 4, 2023

Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island aim to share developer project proposal selection and boost cross-border economies of scale to meet clean energy production goals.

Clean Energy

California To Be Key Buyer of Floating Offshore Wind Energy

Matthew Heller

September 27, 2023

The state announced it would purchase uncontracted energy to sell to utilities to propel the market, as key developer Equinor launches the first undersea robotic analysis and design of its deepwater project site off Morro Bay.

Clean Energy

US Energy Storage Sets Record for Built Capacity in Q2

Mary B. Powers

October 4, 2023

Long-duration grid-scale installations led US growth, with one soon to be added in Alaska—set to be
the country's largest planned single installation, said its developer Westinghouse.

Water and Dams

Corps Raises Emergency Sill to Halt Salt Wedge Threatening New Orleans Water Supply

Daniel Tyson

October 2, 2023

A saltwater wedge creeping up the Mississippi River is once again threatening local water supplies in New Orleans.

Saudi Arabia Shortlists Contractors for $1B in Solar Power Projects

Shem Oirere

September 27, 2023

Five of 15 domestic and international bidders are shortlisted to build two photovoltaic projects with a total capacity of 1,500 MW.

Nuclear Power

UK Shortlists Six to Advance Small Nuclear Reactor Designs

Mary B. Powers

October 3, 2023

U.S. developer TerraPower's natrium design is not among those of U.S., British and French developers selected for next phase of fast-track competition.

Energy

Puerto Rico Power Grid Stabilization Draws Six Contractors for $5B in Work

October 2, 2023

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers selected the firms for multiple award task order contracts with a five-year order period.

Resilience

AECOM-led Team Picked for $2.6B Virginia Coastal Storm Risk Management Program

September 29, 2023

The joint venture with consultants Moffat & Nichol and Volkert will provide project and program management services.

Sustainability

New York State Issues Buy Clean Concrete Guidelines for State Projects

The program takes a gradual approach to lowering embodied carbon in the material

Nadine M. Post

September 24, 2023

Rules are designed to reduce the sizable carbon footprint of the ubiquitous construction material.

Airports

Port of Seattle Approves $399M Budget for Sea-Tac Concourse Expansion

September 29, 2023

Turner Construction is GC/CM for the project, and The Miller Hull Partnership and Woods Bagot are the designers.

Buildings

Work to Restart on World's Tallest Tower, Report Says

September 29, 2023

Middle East business magazine MEED reported that owner invited more than a dozen contractors to bid for the job.

Transit

UK Cancels Large Piece of HS2 High-Speed Rail Project

Peter Reina

October 4, 2023

Plans now call for completion of only half of the 340-mile HS2 network launched 13 years ago.

Five Years After Cat-5 Hurricane Hit, Florida AFB's $5B Rebuild Focuses on Resilience

"Installation of the future" includes strengthened envelope, elevation requirements and coastal resilience

Derek Lacey

October 3, 2023

After being nearly leveled by Hurricane Michael in 2018, Tyndall Air Force Base restoration aims to create the "installation of the future."

Barcelona's Sagrada Familia Basilica Reaches Milestone

Richard Korman

October 11, 2023

One Comment

La Sagrada Familia, the grand house of worship in Barcelona, Spain, that has been under construction for 140 years, took another step forward.

Doomes Succeeds Albert at GSA’s Public Buildings Service

October 11, 2023

The U.S. General Services Administration announced Oct. 10 that Elliot Doomes will succeed Public Buildings Service Commissioner Nina Albert.

UAE Awards Petrofac $615M EPC Contract for Carbon-Capture Project

Shem Oirere

October 8, 2023

U.K. contractor will deliver carbon capture units, pipeline infrastructure and a network of wells for carbon dioxide recovery in a project set to finish in 2026.

Biden Administration Allows Border Wall Construction in Texas

Rio Grande border wall sections will be the first such work since 2021

Daniel Tyson

Jeff Yoders

October 6, 2023

As it restarts work on a 20-mile section of U.S.-Mexico border in Texas, the Biden administration says it is must use funds appropriated by Congress in 2019 for wall construction.

Construction Workforce

Residential Sector Propels Construction Jobs to Sixth Straight Monthly Gain

Tom Ichniowski

October 6, 2023

Industry's jobless rate is up from August level but edges down, year over year.

Highway Infrastructure

FHWA Allocates $61B in IIJA Formula Highway, Bridge Funds

Tom Ichniowski

October 5, 2023

Texas, California, Florida, New York and Pennsylvania receive largest federal-aid highway funding shares.

Viewpoint

Why Industry Employers Must Accelerate the Needed Diversity Push

Richard Korman

October 12, 2023

Eric Hines Phd., P.E. Barbara Kates-Garnick, PhD

It’s clear that only an expanded and inclusive workforce can meet the industry's challenges.

AVANGRID Vineyard-Wind-I-Massachusetts-.jpg

Viewpoint

Now Is the Time to Invest in US Offshore Wind

September 29, 2023

2 Comments

Offshore wind’s dual tendency to highlight critical needs and shatter expectations has shown itself more than once. Like our other infrastructure, it needs large-scale, long-term investments in which both public and private sectors play a role.

Industrial Leads for the Week of October 16, 2023

October 12, 2023

Information derived from Industrial Reports, a market intelligence firm specializing in industrial construction and equipment leads.

Pulse for the Week of October 16, 2023

October 12, 2023

Project news from Dodge Data & Analytics.

Oracle Building AI Assistance Directly Into Its Cloud Services

Jeff Yoders

October 11, 2023

Oracle unveiled details about its partnership with artificial intelligence provider Cohere at its Oracle Cloud World conference in Las Vegas Sept. 18.

Construction Economics for October 16, 2023

October 12, 2023