EUGENE, Ore. - When it comes to using mass timber as a construction material in hospitals and clinics, Kevin Van Den Wymelenberg said wood gets a bad rap. Health care providers may see wood as unhygienic and hard to disinfect, but Van Den Wymelenberg, a professor and researcher at the University of Oregon, said that may not be true. In fact, he said past studies have shown that wood performs ... Read More

Portland’s chief procurement officer has resigned following a bruising audit and elected leaders' harsh criticism over the city’s continued shortcomings in awarding construction contracts to minority- and women-owned firms. Lester Spitler, whose tasks included harnessing Portland’s purchasing power to boost historically disadvantaged businesses, wrote in a Nov. 5 email sent to city employees ... Read More

Metro’s proposed payroll tax on employers, a plan that would generate billions of dollars for transportation projects across the Portland region, appears headed for defeat. In partial returns as of 8:09 p.m. Tuesday, the payroll tax plan known as Measure 26-218 was failing in all three metro counties. Its apparent failure would end a lengthy winning streak at the ballot box for the regional ... Read More

Oct. 21--A repaired West Seattle Bridge could safely reopen by 2022 for only $47 million, but its future costs might soar nearly as high as a partial replacement bridge, said a city cost-benefit analysis released Tuesday. The partial-replacement could be finished by mid-2026 and last 75 years, for $383 million upfront construction costs, the report by a consulting team says. In a response, the ... Read More

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused, and continues to cause, major impacts to many sectors of the economy, including the construction industry. Projects under way before the pandemic triggered pauses may have been slow to resume or abandoned altogether because of funding issues. A consequence of this unforeseen impact is that contractors, subcontractors and suppliers feel immense pressure and ... Read More

Oct. 14--An unnamed company has filed permits to build a massive distribution facility in Spokane Valley that bears similarities to an Amazon fulfillment center. The city earlier this week approved a grading permit for the 1.3 million-square-foot distribution facility at 17205 E. Garland Ave. The project is referred to as "Project Fireball -- GEG2." Amazon has been known to use code names in ... Read More

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — President Donald Trump has said he will issue a permit for a rail line connecting Alaska and Canada, he said. Trump sent a tweet last Friday citing the influence of two members of Alaska’s congressional delegation on his decision, The Anchorage Daily News reported. "I will be issuing a Presidential Permit for the A2A Cross-Border Rail between Alaska & Canada. ... Read More

Sep. 28--If city leaders replace the cracked West Seattle Bridge, the new span might need to rise higher than the existing 140-foot-tall span above the Duwamish Waterway. Ship-channel height is one of the top five risks that could add costs and time to a new bridge project, the city's engineering consultants believe. The Coast Guard says it will require a navigation impact statement for any ... Read More

Portland has committed to building 720 new affordable housing units downtown as part of its ambitious Broadway Corridor redevelopment, but to meet that goal it may have to shift some of that housing to an auxiliary site across the railroad tracks from the main project. And the city will have to overcome a legacy of failed housing goals at other major redevelopments. Backers say they are ... Read More