News - Articles - Page 2 | Engineering News-Record

Labor

2Q 2026 Cost Report: Compensation Increases on the Decline Following 2023 High

Bruce Buckley

June 17, 2026

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Hiring process slows as employers and employees show caution.

Confidence Index

2Q 2026 Cost Report: Construction Exec Confidence Unchanged Despite Iran Conflict

Jonathan Keller

June 17, 2026

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Demand for AI infrastructure pushes the industry through headwinds.

Economics

2Q 2026 Cost Report: Data Center Surge Presses on Amid Ongoing Economic Issues, Community Pushback

Alisa Zevin

June 17, 2026

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Steel, lumber and energy prices continue to rise.

Trunk Tools' Cortex platform displays a floor plan alongside linked project information, allowing users to select a drawing object and view associated specifications, schedules and other project records.

Construction Technology

Trunk Tools Launches Cortex AI Platform to Interpret Construction Drawings

Platform is designed to connect drawings, RFIs, specs and submittals while supporting workflow agents across project documents

Bryan Gottlieb

June 17, 2026

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Trunk Tools says its new Cortex platform can interpret construction drawings and connect them with project records, as contractors report early workflow gains.

Photo shows new sidewalk shed designs along a street in New York City; one is yellow, the other blue

Safety

New York City Displays Updated Sidewalk Sheds

Meant to offer a more open, well-lit experience than standard sheds, the designs will be available to contractors when the city rolls out new scaffolding rules

Leslie Nemo

June 17, 2026

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New York City plans to introduce the shed options as part of a package of new rules around scaffolding and facade inspections.

Large cranes tower over a hyperscale data center campus as construction continues on additional buildings at Meta's Mesa, Ariz., facility.

AI Buildout

AI Data Centers Become City-Scale Infrastructure, Prompting New Industry Playbook

NEMA, ASHRAE and PNNL launch a framework as developers, utilities and contractors grapple with power, workforce and infrastructure demands

Bryan Gottlieb

June 17, 2026

One Comment

As AI data centers reach city-scale power demands, developers, utilities and contractors are rewriting the infrastructure playbook around electricity, workforce and speed-to-power challenges nationwide.

Aerial view of Dry Dock 4 at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Wash., with waterfront facilities, construction equipment and support buildings visible.

Military Projects

Navy Maps Out Four Packages for Planned $10B Bremerton Dry Dock Rebuild

Project documents detail construction phasing at the Dry Dock 3 waterfront at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and outline marine, dry dock, infrastructure and caisson contracts

Bryan Gottlieb

June 16, 2026

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As the U.S. Navy advances a planned $10-billion dry dock at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, new documents reveal four major construction packages and phasing.

World's Longest Immersed Tunnel Passes Milestone, But Faces Delays

German-Denmark link progresses below the Baltic Sea

James Leggate

June 15, 2026

One Comment

The $8-billion Fehmarnbelt Tunnel connecting Germany and Denmark below the Baltic Sea has placed its first precast concrete elements—two years behind schedule.

Industrial

Oklahoma AG Files Suit to Stop $4B Smelter Amid GOP Primary Tensions

Filing targets Century Aluminum–EGA venture planned for Tulsa Port of Inola

Vince Kong

June 15, 2026

No Comments

Giant aluminum project becomes a political football in the state governor’s race as litigation ensues.

Aerial view of dozens of commercial trucks and trailers parked in organized rows at a large freight parking facility.

Transportation Funding

USDOT Opens $627M INFRA Round With Truck Parking Set-Aside

Grant competition prioritizes commercial vehicle parking, large freight projects and transportation links to air cargo hubs and spaceports

Bryan Gottlieb

June 15, 2026

No Comments

USDOT opened applications for $626.7 million in INFRA grants, including a new $200-million truck-parking set-aside and preferences for large freight projects.