Related Links: ENR Confidence Index Suffers a Small Drop International Design Firms Set Their Mission for the Next 100 Years Despite a still shaky economic recovery, construction and design firm executives are cautiously optimistic thanks to surging worldwide demand for infrastructure upgrades, especially in the energy sector, says management consultant KPMG International in its 2013 global construction survey released on Oct. 8. Survey results are based on early-year responses from 165 industry CEOs and top executives in 29 countries, about 16% in North America.The power sector "without question" is attracting the most attention from industry executives, says Geno Armstrong, global
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is requiring contractor CB&I to enact measures to improve the workplace culture related to quality control at the firm's Lake Charles, La., plant that supplies wall modules to nuclear-power projects in Georgia and South Carolina. Photo courtesy Georgia Power The CB&I plant that feeds CA20 sub-modules to the Plant Vogtle project, pictured here, is facing heightened NRC scrutiny over workplace concerns. Related Links: Builders of Vogtle Nuclear Plant Face Growing Costs, Concerns Vogtle Nuclear Plant Owners Seek Budget Hike, Extend Schedule On Sept. 17, the NRC announced a deal with the company that resolves two employment
Moving quickly to get Jacksonville's Mathews Bridge back into service after it was damaged by a U.S. Navy cargo ship on Sept. 26, the Florida Dept. of Transportation announced Oct. 1 that Superior Construction, Jacksonville, submitted the apparent low bid for emergency repairs, with a price of $1.07 million. If the contractor can complete the repairs in 30 days, it stands to earn up to $500,000 in early-completion bonuses. FDOT estimates the total cost of repairs at $3 million. Photo courtesy FDOT The cargo ship damaged a structural beam on the bridge's central span, nearly causing a collapse, say state
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission wants CB&I to enact measures to improve the workplace culture related to quality control at a Lake Charles, La., plant supplying wall modules to nuclear-power projects in Georgia and South Carolina.
Photo Courtesy FDOT The incident severely damaged a structural beam on the bridge's central span. Related Links: Fast-Track Replacement Planned for Collapsed Skagit River Bridge In Wake of Washington Span's Collapse, Federal Bridge Funding is in Focus The Florida Dept. of Transportation scrambled to award an emergency contract for repairs to a downtown Jacksonville bridge after a U.S. Navy cargo ship struck the 60-year-old, steel-truss structure's central span on Sept. 26. FDOT announced on Oct. 1 that Superior Construction, Jacksonville, submitted the apparent low bid, with a price of $1.07 million, plus a potential $500,000 in bonuses. FDOT estimates the
Related Links: Jimmie W. Hinze Graduate Scholarship in Construction Safety - Univ. of Florida M.E. Rinker School of Building Construction Jimmie W. Hinze, 67, a well-known construction safety researcher and champion, died on Sept. 12 in College Station, Texas, of cancer. He served, most recently, as director of the Fluor Program for Construction Safety at the University of Florida, Gainesville, and previously led its M.E. Rinker School of Building Construction.HINZIEHinze's research "was groundbreaking and unprecedented and provided the technical foundation for significant aspects of contemporary approaches to construction safety," says Robert Ries, the current Rinker school director.In August, Hinze presented
Six Southeast projects collectively won roughly $73.6 million in federal funding when the U.S. Dept. of Transportation recently announced its latest round of TIGER grants. Among the recipients in Florida, Georgia and North Carolina, the city of Atlanta received the single largest grant, of $18 million, to fund development of the Atlanta BeltLine’s 2.5-mile-long southwest corridor project. Image courtesy of Atlanta BeltLine Inc. The U.S. DOT awarded an $18-million grant to the city of Atlanta for development of the BeltLine's $2.5-mile-long southwest corridor project, estimated at $43 million overall. Image courtesy of the N.C. Dept. of Transportation The city of
In the fall of 2009, before construction had even begun, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' first design-build hospital project, sited in Fort Benning, Ga., had become a contracting nightmare. Related Links: Turnkey Equipment Procurement a Key to Success on Navy Hospital Job Court Orders Army to Reinstate Turner Contract The two losing bidders for the $333-million Martin Army Community Hospital (MACH)—a McCarthy/Hunt joint venture and a team of Harbert Construction and Brasfield & Gorrie—were filing lawsuits relating to the selection of Turner Construction Co. and Ellerbe Becket/RLF Architects. By February 2010, the Corps was ordering Turner Construction Co. and
On July 16, at 6:45 a.m., Florida Power & Light's 50-plus-year-old Port Everglades powerplant in Hollywood, Fla., came crashing down. The 1200-megawatt, oil-burning behemoth had become the latest chapter in one of today's biggest infrastructure stories—the nation's ongoing transition to cleaner energy sources. The occasion also cleared the way for new construction, in this case a $1-billion-plus natural gas-fired facility. Related Links: Southeast Top Specialty Contractors Ranking VIDEO: Port Everglades Powerplant Implosion (YouTube) D.H. Griffin Wrecking Co. Web Site The early-morning spectacle, positioned next to Fort Lauderdale's international airport and the cruise-ship hub Port Everglades, drew widespread attention for FPL—which
Despite some improvement in the volume of new contracts, the Southeast's construction market remains a fraction of the size it was during the pre-recession peak years. While specialty contractors working in Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas are growing more optimistic about market recovery, for many, the next wave of construction can't get here soon enough. Photo courtesy of Gate Precast Co. Educational projects such as this science graduate classroom building at Florida International University in Miami could be indicative of an increased amount of work in this sector for specialty firms. Photo courtesy of KHS&S Contractors At HealthPark Medical Center
