The Colorado Dept. of Transportation reports that work is “progressing well” on a project to improve safety at the S.H. 172 intersection at Oxford in La Plata County. The county is managing the project at county roads 311 and 513, which began in mid-February. Map courtesy of CDOT The project reconstructs and improves the S.H. 172 intersection at Oxford in La Plata County, Colo. The project is expected to extend through November and will reconstruct the intersection by adding acceleration and deceleration lanes on S.H. 172, realigning County Road 311 with County Road and improving drainage and irrigation.The cost of
We are facing a shortage of skilled workers. We hear that message almost daily. Many reports say the shortages are already here. We have heard the reasons: an aging work force, letting 30% of our people go during the recent downturn, a weak immigration policy, bad industry image and students unaware of construction career opportunities. The time to focus on solutions is now. The shortage must be solved at the local level but first we need a national strategy. In mid-February, President Obama wrote a letter of apology to Ann Johns, an art history professor at the University of Texas.The last
Faced with what could be an unprecedented labor shortage as the economy picks up, construction professionals are uniting in a mission to rebuild the pipeline of young workers that once flowed into the industry from vocational and technical education programs across the country. Image courtesy of AGC AGC of America economist Ken Simonson (right) and Phil Washington, general manager of Denver's Regional Transportation District, helped to launch AGC's new workforce initiative program in Denver in April. “Somewhere in recent decades, our country made a collective decision that everyone should attend college. The robust work force and technical education programs that
New construction starts in March advanced 7% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $521.4 billion, according to McGraw Hill Construction, a division of McGraw Hill Financial. Nonresidential building picked up the pace after its lackluster performance at the outset of this year, while nonbuilding construction managed a moderate gain. Meanwhile, residential building settled back as single-family housing remained sluggish. During the first three months of 2014, total construction starts on an unadjusted basis were reported at $107.4 billion, down 2% from the same period a year ago. The latest month’s data lifted the Dodge Index to 110 (2000=100), up
Costruction is a risky business full of jobsite hazards, from life-threatening falls to blunt trauma injuries, but more insidious dangers exist, like crystalline silica inhalation, which can lead to a type of cancer known as pneumoconiosis. It’s what coal miners call “black lung” disease, where tiny airborne particles cause lesions and scarring on the lungs, gradually leaving workers unable to breathe. Courtesy of National Association of Home Builders Silica becomes a corrosive airborne inhalant during most construction tasks and can lead to a disease known as silicosis or grinders asthma. Silicosis, its equally harmful cousin, currently affects 1.7 million workers
The U.S. Green Building Council recently ranked Colorado eighth in the nation in LEED projects. The 2013 ranking was down from third overall in 2012 and second in 2011. But the state certified 124 LEED projects last year, compared to only 99 in 2012, representing more than eight million sq ft of real estate, says Angie Fyfe, USGBC Colorado executive director.“We had lower LEED [certified] square footage here last year, which is how the council ranks states, but Colorado had a 25% increase in the number of LEED projects certified,” Fyfe says.The LEED approval process can often take 2.5 years
The American Council of Engineering Cos. of Colorado recently presented $32,000 in scholarships to 11 outstanding college students pursuing degrees in engineering at Colorado schools with ABET-accredited engineering programs. The 2014 recipients were selected from a field of 32 applicants based on their academic records, involvement in student chapters of professional organizations and community service. Photo courtesy of ACEC/CO ACEC Colorado 2014 scholarship recipients are pictured with ACEC Colorado President Greg Roush, (from left): Kayla Fochtman, Jonathan Greco, Ashlyn Norberg, KC Schultz, Jared Leventhal, APWA representative Laura Kroeger and Patrick Davenport. KC Schulz, a mechanical engineering student at Colorado School
The Utah Chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors has raised more than $16,000 for the Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) through donations by members and non-members alike. Donations where raised through an ABC Utah-specific WWP website created by chapter staff. Image courtesy of ABC Utah U.S. Army Veteran (Ret.) Travis Vendela told the audience about his experience in Afghanistan when a roadside bomb struck his Hummer while on patrol. “The convenience of making an online contribution directly to WWP allowed us to accept donations from non-members that resulted in an overwhelming response from our community to support our wounded soldiers,” said
Following a modest two-month recovery in the level of demand for design services, the Architecture Billings Index (ABI) again turned negative last month. As a leading economic indicator of construction activity, the ABI reflects the approximate nine- to 12-month lead-time between architecture billings and construction spending. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) reported the March ABI score was 48.8, down sharply from a mark of 50.7 in February. This score reflects a decrease in design services (any score above 50 indicates an increase in billings). The new projects inquiry index was 57.9, up from the reading of 56.8 the previous
The Equipment Leasing and Finance Association’s (ELFA) Monthly Leasing and Finance Index (MLFI-25) showed that the overall new business volume for March was $7 billion, up 3% from a year ago. Month-over-month, new business volume was up 30% from February. Year to date, cumulative new business volume increased 6% compared to 2013. The MLFI-25 index reports economic activity from 25 companies representing a cross section of the $827-billion equipment finance sector, Receivables over 30 days increased to 2.1% from 1.8% the previous month, and were up slightly from 2.0% during the same period in 2013.Charge-offs were down at a new all-time
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