Texas & Louisiana City Scoop: Construction Starts in Fort Worth
Before COVID-19 Outbreak, Value of New Contracts Had Been Expected to Rise 4.3%
The non-building and residential sectors had been forecast to increase 27% and 7%, respectively.
City Grill
Joe Strub
Preconstruction Manager, Texas
Sundt Construction
While the COVID-19 pandemic initially postponed construction starts and pushed projects to the following year’s budgets, the industry is now starting to pick back up, Strub says.
“Our construction trades have implemented new COVID safety protocols to continue building projects around Fort Worth during the pandemic,” he says.
Despite their own set of challenges, local health care systems are still pushing forward on projects, such as the John Peter Smith Hospital expansion and the Texas Health Resources-Harris tower, Strub notes. “Additionally, our industry is watching the city of Fort Worth in developing its plan to renovate the Fort Worth Convention Center and hotel,” he says.
COVID-19 has forced contractors to reexamine and improve functionality while still building safely and coordinating with key stakeholders, Strub says, and it will continue to have impacts through the next year. “We have seen an increase in the construction of industrial warehouse and cold storage around Fort Worth. There are still some supply issues, as the recent rise in the cost of wood products has affected Texas and the entire country,” he adds.
