The amount contractors pay for a range of key construction materials declined in August, but contractors continue to be squeezed as materials cost increases have outstripped the price of finished buildings over the past year, according to an analysis of producer price index figures released recently by the Associated General Contractors of America. “The disparity between contractors’ materials costs and their selling prices threatens to push some firms and their hard-pressed workers out of business,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “Contractors just aren’t catching any breaks when it comes to current market conditions.”Simonson noted that the monthly decrease
Construction professionals from throughout Wyoming congregated in Casper this summer for Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) of Wyoming meetings and events. Photo courtesy of ABC Wyoming ABC of Wyoming golf tournament winning team was, left to right, Billy Brewer and Cayde Johnson with Groathouse Construction, Laramie/Cody/Casper; and Ray Drzymala, MOA Architecture. The annual summer event kicked off with the first annual ABC Wyoming Cup golf tournament at the Paradise Valley Country Club. The ABC Cup exceeded expectations with more than 90 players participating in the tournament. Top honors went to the Groathouse Construction/MOA Architecture team. Teams from AP Wyoming
Denver’s new 60,000-sq-ft Police Crime Laboratory celebrated its topping out in early September. The $36-million facility will replace the city’s existing 14,000-sq-ft lab, currently housed in the Police Administration Building. Courtesy of City and County of Denver The building features three levels of lab and office space and will connect to the Police Administration Complex at 14th Avenue between Cherokee and Delaware streets. With the additional 46,000 sq ft, the Denver Police Dept. can offer improved forensic and evidence-handling resources to scientists and investigators. The building features three levels of lab and office space and will connect to the Police
Routine work on a substation apparently led to a power outage that left more than 1.4 million customers – about 5 million people – without power for 12 hours Sept. 8 and 9 in Southern California, Arizona and Mexico. According to the Arizona Public Service, the outage began about 3:30 p.m. PDT Thursday when a major 500-kV line from Arizona to Southern California tripped off. The outage forced the automatic shut down of the San Onofre Generating Station, a nuclear powerplant. The powerplant and power imported from Arizona on the 500-kV line are the region’s primary sources of power. Without
Capping a yearlong effort to ensure efficiency and sustainability in planning, construction and operation, Alta Aspen Grove apartment community received LEED-Silver certification during a ceremony in early September. Photo by Elevate Photograhy, courtesy of Wood Partners High-end amenities include double-sided gas fireplaces in select homes, nine-ft ceilings and crown molding, walk-in closets and granite counter tops. The 280-unit luxury apartment complex officially opened its doors in mid-June in Littleton, Colo., just west of Denver.Located on 17.5 acres at 7317 South Platte River Parkway, Alta Aspen Grove is adjacent to a nature preserve, a bicycle greenway path and a light rail
A project to improve the US. 160 interchange to Mesa Verde National Park, as well as the U.S. 160 corridor that services the area, is getting a substantial boost with federal funding. The U.S. 160 Mesa Verde Interchange Resurfacing and Improvement Project is set to receive $4.6 million in Public Lands Highway Discretionary Funds from the Federal Highway Administration. The FHWA awards the funds through a nationwide competitive process. The project is a high priority for the region, due to the highway’s poor condition and increased traffic in national park users.The project has been listed in CDOT’s Statewide Transportation Improvement Program
The value of new construction starts dropped 10% in July to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $394.7 billion, according to McGraw-Hill Construction, a division of The McGraw-Hill Cos. The decline followed a 15% gain in June and returned total construction to the lower end of its recent range. The nonbuilding construction sector, comprised of public works and electric utilities, fell back after a robust June that had been lifted by the start of several large transmission line and power plant projects. Nonresidential building also slipped back after its improved pace in June.On the plus side, residential building in July
The High Performance Transportation Enterprise (HPTE), a government-owned business within the Colorado Dept. of Transportation, has received an unsolicited proposal for a public-private partnership to improve the I-70 west mountain corridor. The proposal has been submitted by Parsons, a Pasadena, Calif.-based international design, engineering and construction company. The proposed development plan identifies a phased program of transportation infrastructure improvements on Interstate 70 between C-470 and Silverthorne initially and extending to Eagle in the future. The proposal does not preclude improvements identified in the I-70 west mountain corridor Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement Record of Decision., according to CDOT.Parson’s proposal includes "an
After more than two years, the $40-million terminal expansion at Gallatin Field Airport near Bozeman, Mont., is winding down. The expansion portion, which broke ground in May 2009, opened on time in August, and now the remodeling of the original building is under way. Completion is due by year-end, in time for the holiday rush and winter peak season. The project, led by Bozeman-based Martel Construction, is the largest terminal expansion project ever in Montana. A three-story addition more than doubles the terminal's size to nearly 200,000 sq ft from 75,000 sq ft. Currently, the airport serves about 750,000 passengers
Mountain States contractors continue to sing much the same song as last year—a tired blues number about tight competition, low margins and declining backlogs that most of them know by heart. Revenue for all but a handful of regional contractors declined again in 2010, especially for heavy-highway firms, whose leaders are growing increasingly concerned about declining state and federal funding for roads and other infrastructure.“Utah spent approximately $1.6 billion in 2010 in transportation funding. The current budget estimates that 2011 [spending] will be $300 million,” says Jeff Clyde, vice president of the heavy division at WW Clyde, Salt Lake City.
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