Price spikes for several key construction materials in September threaten to push some contractors out of business, according to an analysis of federal figures recently released by the Associated General Contractors of America. The recent surge comes despite mild year-over-year changes in materials prices overall. AGC Economist Ken Simonson cited rising prices for a variety of essential construction materials as responsible for the recent spike. The price index for diesel fuel jumped 5.7% in September, following a leap of 8.7% in August. Prices for copper and brass mill shapes climbed 3.6% in September. The indexes for aluminum mill shapes and
Colorado State University received approval last week to move ahead with a fundraising campaign for a new stadium on the university’s main campus. The CSU System Board of Governors, which oversees the three-campus system, affirmed a recommendation from CSU President Tony Frank to begin an effort to raise private support for at least half the cost of the proposed $246-million stadium. In addition to an aggressive campaign to raise money, the university will move ahead with detailed planning for the stadium project.Since early 2012, CSU has been examining whether it is feasible to build a new stadium to replace the
Most workplace injuries in the Mountain West are musculoskeletal injuries. Some of the most common of these include muscle strains, joint inflammation, back pain, tendonitis, ligament sprains, pinched nerves, carpal tunnel syndrome or rotator cuff syndrome. These are all injuries that involve the muscles and the skeleton—basically the parts of the body that make us move. These work-related injuries affect muscles, tendons, joints, ligaments, bones, nerves and blood vessels. They are caused by certain work tasks that place excessive strain on our bodies over time.You may have heard musculoskeletal injuries referred to as the following:• Sprains and strains• Overexertion injuries•
The construction industry is experiencing some bumps in its recovery but is generally on a modest upward trajectory. The total value of construction for the first six months of this year is $387.1 billion, 9.0% above the same period in 2011, according to the latest construction cost report from property and construction consultant Rider Levett Bucknall. The research also suggests that from April to July of this year, the national average increase in construction cost was only 0.22%. Several of the 12 U.S. cities where RLB tracks construction costs experienced little change in the quarter. For the fifth consecutive quarter,
Construction employment declined in 164 out of 337 metropolitan areas between August 2011 and August 2012, increased in 130 and was stagnant in 43, according to a new analysis of federal employment data recently released by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials said that construction employment in many areas was suffering as government and business officials delay projects in the face of federal tax and funding uncertainty. “The looming fiscal cliff is already contributing to construction employment declines in many parts of the country,” said Stephen E. Sandherr, the association’s chief executive officer. “We are just not seeing
Phoenix mayor Greg Stanton and others commemorated the opening of the $135-million Health Sciences Education Building at the Phoenix Biomedical Campus on Friday. Related Links: Niche Markets Help Top Subcontractors Stay Above Water DPR Typifies Triple Bottom Line Approach The 268,000-sq-ft space was built via a partnership between the University of Arizona College of Medicine and Northern Arizona University, and will eventually serve up to 1,200 students plus faculty and researchers.The building’s general contractor, a joint venture of the Phoenix office of DPR Construction and Tempe, Ariz.-based Sundt Construction, reports that the building was delivered on time and on budget. The contractors
The Affordable Health Care for America Act (HR 3962) as passed in 2009 is yet to be fully implemented, and a number of health care-related companies are still trying to understand its impact on their business. Firms involved in the design and construction of health care facilities are also trying to gauge the law’s ramifications on their business. Generally speaking, changes in the way health care services are delivered have historically been good for the design and construction industry because health care facilities, systems and companies are constantly trying to upgrade their delivery methods to comply with the latest technology
Construction employment declined in 30 states from August 2011 to August 2012 and in 26 states in the past month, according to a recent analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of Labor Department data. Association officials noted that construction employment declined in most states even as long term infrastructure programs and tax measures languish. “Construction employment continues to decline in many states as key tax and infrastructure decisions languish in Washington,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “Thousands more construction workers could be employed today in states across the country if we had long-term federal tax and
he cost of key construction materials increased in August and year-to-year, resuming a trend that has forced contractors to pay more for materials even as competitive pressures restrain prices for finished projects, according to a recent analysis of federal figures released today by the Associated General Contractors of America. “After years of depressed construction activity, the last thing contractors need is to see materials price increases further erode their already slim margins,” said Stephen E. Sandherr, the association’s chief executive officer. “This isn’t the kind of economic recovery most contractors spent the past few years praying for.”The producer price index
Aging infrastructure for marine ports, inland waterways and airports threatens more than one million U.S. jobs, according to a new Failure to Act report from the American Society of Civil Engineers. Between now and 2020, investment needs in the nation’s marine ports and inland waterways sector total $30 billion while planned expenditures are about $14 billion, leaving a total investment gap of nearly $16 billion. Similarly, with airports between now and 2020, there is an investment need of about $114 billion, while anticipated spending is $95 billion, leaving a gap of nearly $19 billion, as well as an additional need
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