Santa Clara County, Calif., Locks Out Turner From Hospital Job

Turner Construction Co. says Santa Clara County, Calif., officials shut down work on Sept. 11 at an overbudget and behind-schedule county hospital expansion project in San Jose. The county has issued Turner notices of  default and, in recent weeks, made numerous public accusations and criticisms of Turner.

Turner spokesman Christopher McFadden says that, in addition to releasing inaccurate accusations, the county has failed to produce final drawings on a job that has had more than 800 change orders and 1,500 days of owner-caused delays.

Court OKs Boston Pipeline

A Massachusetts federal court judge has ruled that Algonquin Gas Transmission LLC has the right to immediately take an easement in parts of three West Roxbury streets in Boston that could allow natural-gas pipeline construction to begin within weeks. The Roxbury construction is part of a $1 billion, 1,129-mile-long natural-gas pipeline extension project.

Construction Momentum Gains

The Dodge Momentum Index increased 2.8% in August, according to Dodge Data & Analytics. The index measures nonresidential building projects entering the planning stage. The August gain was due to a 8.4% increase in new plans for  commercial buildings, including eight commercial projects exceeding $100 million. At the top of the list was a $500- million mixed-use project in California and a $400-million hotel in New York.