Demand far exceeds supply for the Dept. of Transportation’ $1.5 billion in Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) discretionary grants. DOT reported on Sept. 25 that its preliminary tally shows it received 1,381 applications for the grants from all 50 states and other jurisdictions. Those requests seek a stunning total of $56.9 billion. The grant program, established by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, is aimed at big-impact projects. DOT says 771 of the TIGER applications are for highway projects, requesting a total of $32.2 billion. Transit ranks second, with 220 applications totaling $10.7 billion. DOT Secretary Ray LaHood has
A White House meeting between Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and President Obama on Sept. 16 did not produce an agreement to resolve Canada’s concerns over the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act’s “Buy American” provisions. But Obama said the two sides are trying to find ways to ease the problem. Canada has made a proposal that it hopes will lead to a deal, and the U.S. is evaluating it. Canada contends that its manufacturers have been harmed by ARRA’s restrictions on non-U.S-made steel and manufactured products in projects financed by the stimulus package. A particular focus is projects administered by
The hunt is on for a share of $1.5 billion in U.S. Dept. of Transportation discretionary grants created by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The new program, which DOT calls Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grants, is aimed at projects that “will have a significant impact on the nation, a metropolitan area or a region,” the measure says. David Bauer, American Road and Transportation Builders Association senior vice president, says ARRA “basically had layers of activity.” For highways, the first layer was quick-starting projects like paving jobs, whose funds were obligated by July. Second-layer projects’ money must be
A federal district court judge in Newark, N.J., dismissed a lawsuit brought by Ronald Schiavone, former co-owner of heavy contractor Schiavone Construction Co., Secaucus, N.J., claiming he was cheated by his former partner, Raymond J. Donovan, in proceeds gained from the firm’s December 2007 sale to ACS, a Spanish construction conglomerate. ACS paid $150 million for Schiavone. Judge Susan Wigenton ruled the case lacked jurisdiction because Donovan, also a former U.S. Labor Secretary in the Reagan administration, was a resident of Florida and not a New Jersey resident. An attorney for Schiavone says the case may be refiled in Florida,
Construction industry officials keeping close watch on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act’s progress now have new data to study. A White House Council of Economic Advisors report, released on Sept. 10, finds the stimulus law so far has produced or saved about one million jobs, including 133,000 in construction. The figures are estimates, not an actual count of jobs reported by state agencies or companies that have received ARRA aid. Robert A. Murray, McGraw-Hill Construction’s vice president for economic affairs, says CEA’s report, its first quarterly ARRA review, “does indicate the stimulus will increase the ‘pro-cyclical’ benefits to come
President Obama will nominate Patrick Gallagher, the acting head of the Commerce Dept.’s National Institute of Standards and Technology, to be NIST’s director, the White House announced on Sept. 10. For construction, NIST’s key unit is its Building and Fire Research Laboratory, which includes the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program, applied economics, materials and construction research, building environment and fire research offices. The lab’s work included a three-year building and fire safety probe of the 2001 World Trade Center disaster. Gallagher, 46, joined NIST in 1993 in its Center for Neutron Research. He became NIST deputy director in September 2008
Unfolding impacts of worldwide infrastructure are putting acute pressure on the engineering profession to steer future development onto a more sustainable path, said global practitioners meeting Sept. 14-16 in London. The warnings came at the annual conference of the International Federation of Consulting Engineers, at which the group, which represents close to one million global engineers, released its first “state of the world” report. Hundreds of delegates from all continents were urged to take a leadership role to find ways to curtail future negative effects. Photo: FIDIC In a new report, global engineers group is sounding the alarm for needed
President Obama will nominate Patrick Gallagher, the acting head of the Commerce Dept.'s National Institute of Standards and Technology, to be its director, the White House announced on Sept. 10. Photo: D.Anderson/NIST Gallagher has been NIST deputy director since 2008. For the construction industry, NIST's key unit is its Building and Fire Research Laboratory, which includes the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program, as well as applied economics, material and construction research, building environment and fire research offices. The lab's best-known recent project was a three-year building and fire safety investigation of the Sept. 11, 2001, World Trade Center disaster. NIST's
The American Society of Civil Engineers has produced a manual of policies and procedures for organizing and conducting damage assessments after man-made or natural disasters. The Post-Disaster Assessment Manual was developed on the recommendation of an independent task force, led by Sherwood Boehlert, retired congressman and former chair of the House Science Committee. The task force was asked by ASCE in late 2007 to review its damage-inquest and peer-review practices after the credibility of some recent investigations, particularly the peer review of a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-funded study of Hurricane Katrina, was challenged by critics. They said issues related
Construction officials in Washington have circled and underlined Sept. 30 on their calendars because it’s the expiration date for several measures that are critically important to the industry. The list includes surface transportation reauthorization, appropriations and a bill funding Federal Aviation Administration programs. Congress returned on Sept. 8 from its August recess, leaving little time before slamming into those deadlines. That makes short-term extensions nearly certain, giving lawmakers time to hammer out longer-term bills. Of measures facing Sept. 30 deadlines, the top construction priority is a successor to the 2005 Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: a Legacy for
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