Construction's February unemployment rate of 21.8% showed improvement over January's 22.5% rate and was a substantial drop from February 2010's 27.1%. Related Links: Bureau of Labor Statistics Release Analysis From Associated General Contractors of America Analysis From Associated Builders & Contractors The Bureau of Labor Statistics latest monthly employment snapshot, released on March 4, reports that construction gained 33,000 jobs last month. But the bureau also note that the industry's February gain followed a loss of 22,000 jobs in January, which it says "may have reflected severe winter weather." Construction's 21.8% jobless rate also remains the worst among major U.S.
With the start of the prime road-building season drawing near, the House has approved legislation that would extend federal highway and transit programs through Sept. 30, the end of the current fiscal year. The next step is action by the Senate, which is expected to pass the roughly seven-month-long measure soon. The bill would be the seventh stopgap highway-transit authorization since Sept. 30, 2009, when the last multi-year statute expired. The current extension is scheduled to lapse on March 4. Construction and state transportation officials would have strongly preferred to see Congress approve a new long-term bill, but the seven-month
As an increasingly budget-conscious Congress debates multi-year aviation legislation, airport construction funding may be frozen or cut back. That outcome would come as a blow to U.S. airports, which need an estimated $80.1 billion in capital projects over the next five years to upgrade and expand runways, terminals and other infrastructure, according to a new survey of airport officials who say current funds fall far short of those needs. + Image The survey, released by the Airports Council International-North America (ACI-NA) on Feb. 23, shows that the potential market is substantial and that nearly half of the $80 billion would
The U.S. Dept. of Transportation has formally obligated $590 million in stimulus-act funds to the Washington DOT, clearing the way for projects to improve passenger rail infrastructure in that state. The Feb. 26 announcement follows an agreement between the Federal Railroad Administration and Washington DOT regarding the release of the federal aid and a separate pact among Washington DOT, BNSF Railway, which owns the track, and Amtrak, which operates the trains, on a spending plan and rail service benchmarks. The federal aid will go for projects that include bypass tracks and upgrades to track and signal systems on the Washington
Airports will require an estimated $80.1 billion in capital projects over the next five years to upgrade and expand runways, terminals and other infrastructure, the Airports Council International-North America says in a new survey. Related Links: 2010-2011 Capital Needs Survey Report The total is substantial, but represents a 15% decline from the amount projected in ACI-NA's 2009 report, reflecting projects deferred or cancelled. In releasing the report on Feb. 23, ACI-NA President Greg Principato said that for airport officials and airport users, "These projects are considered essential...to meet forecasted passenger and cargo growth." But in a conference call with reporters,
Highways, transit and passenger rail are the big winners among construction programs in President Obama’s $3.7-trillion fiscal 2012 budget request, which calls for sharp increases in those sectors next year, kicking off a proposed $556-billion, six-year surface transportation bill. But many other major construction accounts would suffer cuts under Obama’s plan to help meet his goal of freezing overall non-security-related discretionary funding. Among programs that would be trimmed are Environmental Protection Agency water infrastructure, Army Corps of Engineers civil-works construction and General Services Administration new buildings construction. The Associated General Contractors calculates that the Obama budget seeks a total of
President Obama's $3.7-trillion fiscal 2012 budget proposal would freeze total non-security related discretionary funding, but within that overall freeze, calls for sharp increases in surface transportation accounts, to kick off a proposed $556-billion, six-year highway-transit-rail measure. On the other hand, Obama's budget request, sent to Congress on Feb. 14, recommends cuts in other construction accounts, including airport grants, Environmental Protection Agency water infrastructure and General Services Administration new construction. The release of the budget proposal intensifies the debate that has already begun over federal spending. Congressional committees will dig into the details in hearings over the next several months. Congressional
After a lengthy delay in picking a site, plans to build a new $500-million Social Security Administration data center are moving ahead. Federal officials finally selected a site in Urbana, Md., in early February and a request for qualifications for a design-build team for the project is on the street. The 400,000-square-foot project is one of the largest new buildings funded by the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The stimulus act provided $400 million to cover the construction cost, plus $100 million to partially fund equipment for the new center. The project was the focus of a Feb. 11
After pouring billions of stimulus dollars into “greening” federal facilities, the White House now wants to spur similar upgrades to commercial buildings, which account for 20% of total U.S. energy consumption. President Obama’s newly proposed “Better Buildings Initiative” includes tax, lending and grant provisions to encourage private owners to install energy-efficiency improvements in their existing buildings. Federal agencies can carry out some of the new steps on their own, but others will require convincing a more heavily Republican Congress to approve them. The plan, announced on Feb. 3, aims to make commercial buildings 20% more energy efficient in 10 years.
Construction's unemployment rate rose in January, to 22.5% from December's 20.7%, partly reflecting the industry's usual winter slowdown, but was improved from January 2010's 24.7% rate. Related Links: Read the Employment Report The Bureau of Labor Statistics' latest monthly employment snapshot, released on Feb. 4, also shows that construction lost 32,000 jobs in January, on a seasonally adjusted basis. About two-thirds of those losses came in the nonresidential specialty trade contractors segment. BLS said another possible factor contributing to construction's January job losses was the severe weather in parts of the U.S. last month. One encouraging sign in the latest
