September 5, 2022

Q3 Tech Focus: Mixed Results as Smart Road Testing Begins

Roads that can honk, glow, collect solar energy or charge electric vehicles are meeting with mixed results

Aileen Cho

Emell D. Adolphus

Peter Reina Jim Parsons Stephanie Loder

August 31, 2022

2 Comments

When the city of Lenexa, Kan., this spring opted to move forward with a test pilot of “smart pavements,” it represented a vital step forward for electric vehicles.

Book Review

The Construction Safety Story Not Everyone Gets

Richard Korman

August 31, 2022

No Comments

Sometimes the most important ideas take a long time to sink in. Two books that have helped to reshape ideas about occupational safety, published by the same academic press in 2014 and 2012, are Sidney Dekker’s The Field Guide to Understanding ‘Human Error’ and Todd Conklin’s Pre-Accident Investigations.

Industry Leads for the Week of September 5, 2022

August 31, 2022

No Comments

Information derived from Industrial Reports, a market intelligence firm specializing in industrial construction and equipment leads.

Pulse: Project News for the Week of September 5, 2022

August 31, 2022

No Comments

Project news from Dodge Data & Analytics.

Cybersecurity Threats Drive AEC Firms to Better Data Practices

Jeff Yoders

August 31, 2022

No Comments

Contractors, construction managers and design professionals were more than twice as likely to be the target of ransomware than other users of cloud-based security technology.

Obituary

Roman P. Wengler, Global Leader in Thin-Arch Concrete Dams, Dies

Jennie Phipps

August 22, 2022

One Comment

Civil engineer Roman Peter Wengler was an innovator in the use of computers for the design of dams.

Economy

Labor, Materials Prices Drive Construction Costs Higher: IHS Markit Index

James Leggate

August 24, 2022

No Comments

Survey respondents reported shortages of materials including electrical steel, components and cement.

Clean Energy Construction

Oil Firms Show Interest to Build Gulf of Mexico Offshore Wind

Mary B. Powers

Debra K. Rubin

August 26, 2022

No Comments

Energy companies point to area's existing oil-gas infrastructure and supply chain as feds aim to lease project sites off Louisiana and northern Texas next year.

Clean Energy Construction

Germany Pact Propels Eastern Canada as Green Hydrogen Hub

Debra K. Rubin

August 31, 2022

No Comments

Billions in proposed wind-generated hydrogen projects in Atlantic provinces get attention as Canada sees key role in energy transition for Germany, Europe and elsewhere.

Legal

Ex-San Francisco DPW Director Sentenced to Seven Years in Corruption Case

James Leggate

August 26, 2022

No Comments

Mohammed Nuru pleaded guilty to the charge of defrauding the public for a 12-year scheme of bribery and kickbacks.

How Sudden Concrete Pump Truck Shifts Hurt Workers

Richard Korman

August 31, 2022

No Comments

On Feb. 12, 2020, Roy Rock LLC sent a concrete pump truck to Elizabeth, N.J., where a developer was constructing an apartment building. It had rained heavily much of the week.

RESIZED2100-N-Southport_Rendering_HiRes_Credit-Sterling-Bay-and-HPA-(002).jpg

Materials

Tall-Timber Building Expected in Chicago, 151 Years After the Great Fire

Jean Thilmany

August 26, 2022

No Comments

Developer Sterling Bay plans to break ground on Chicago’s first tall-timber building since the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.

Energy Construction

Kiewit Hired as EPC for Fire-Damaged Freeport Gas Terminal Fix

Mary B. Powers

August 24, 2022

No Comments

Contractor will restore giant Texas LNG complex to meet targets again delayed—now November for partial reopening and full operation in March 2023.

Acquisitions

Lawsuit in Quanta Services Deal Challenges Non-Compete Terms

James Leggate

August 19, 2022

No Comments

Giant specialty contractor acquired William E. Groves Construction in 2021, and two departing senior managers of former family-owned firm aim to nullify earlier non-compete agreements.

Power & Industrial

Russia's Rosatom Moves Forward on Egypt Nuclear Plant Construction

South Korea secures $2.25B deal to supply turbines to nuclear plant in El Dabaa city on Mediterranean coast

Shem Oirere

August 26, 2022

No Comments

The power plant is expected to cost approximately $30 billion.

A photo of the Purple Line Rock Creek Bridge in Maryland

Transportation

Labor Pact Readies Delayed Maryland Purple Line for Major Restart

Jim Parsons

August 28, 2022

No Comments

New Dragados/OHL team is set to resume full-scale construction on 16-mile light-rail system in D.C. suburbs now about four years behind schedule due to numerous disputes and previous contractor Fluor's departure.

Legal

Contractor, Subcontractor on Rivian Project Will Pay Workers Owed Overtime, Illinois AG Says

Third firm facing lawsuit from Illinois state officials

James Leggate

August 24, 2022

No Comments

Tip-off of EV plant's alleged workplace violations came from union local, Illinois authorities say.

Agrivoltaics

Colorado Solar Project Highlights Potential of 'Agrivoltaics'

Garnet Mesa solar project will be state's largest agrivoltaic installation when complete

Eric Peterson

August 20, 2022

No Comments

When complete, the 80-MW Garnet Mesa Solar Projects on 383 acres on a former ranch southeast of Delta, Colo., will be the largest solar farm on the Western Slope, and the largest “agrivoltaic” installation in Colorado.

Hazardous Waste

EPA Proposes to Add Some PFAS Chemicals to Superfund List

Action would trigger tougher enforcement actions if finalized

Pam McFarland

August 26, 2022

No Comments

"Hazardous" designation of two major PFAS chemicals could trigger more cleanups under the federal government's key toxic waste remediation program.

Mass Transit

California High-Speed Rail Authority Approves $4B San Francisco Line

James Leggate

August 23, 2022

No Comments

Officials plan to reduce costs and impacts by sharing a commuter rail service corridor for the 43-mile section between San Jose and San Francisco.

Transportation Funding

New Law Aims to Boost Low-Carbon Materials in Highways, Reconnect Neighborhoods

Tom Ichniowski

August 22, 2022

No Comments

The recently enacted Inflation Reduction Act contains highway-related provisions that aim to give a boost to infrastructure projects in disadvantaged communities and for the use of low-carbon construction materials on federal highway projects.

US, Mexico Set to Invest in Wastewater Plant Expansions

Pam McFarland

September 1, 2022

No Comments

The U.S. and Mexico have formally enacted an agreement to invest $474 million across several projects geared toward reducing the amount of untreated sewage discharged into the Pacific Ocean near the border between San Diego and Tijuana.

Court Stays Contractor COVID Vaccine Rule for ABC Members

Associated Builders and Contractors joined lawsuit to halt vaccine requirements for workers on federal projects

Jeff Yoders

August 30, 2022

No Comments

Associated Builders and Contractors members and subs will stay exempt from mandate for federal contractors, but it could take effect for non-construction US contracts in all but seven states, appeals court ruled.

Companies

Ex-Granite Senior VP Cited As Firm Reaches $12M SEC Fraud Settlement

Richard Korman

August 26, 2022

No Comments

The California contractor's former CEO and two other senior executives were not charged but must return more than $1.8 million in bonus pay.

Building Repairs

San Francisco OKs Revamped Settling Millennium Tower Fix

Nadine M. Post

August 25, 2022

No Comments

The city issues a revised building permit for a perimeter pile upgrade scheme that reduces the number of piles from 52 to 18.

Bringing Opioid Misuse Out of The Shadows

Johanna Knapschaefer

August 31, 2022

No Comments

Contractors battle drug addiction by making treatment medication Narcan more available on jobsites, providing training to respond to overdoses and fostering prevention measures,

Construction Economics for September 5, 2022

August 31, 2022

No Comments

ENR’s 20-city average cost indexes, wages and materials prices. Historical data and details for ENR’s 20 cities can be found at ENR.com/economics

Earn: 1 PDH; 1 AIA LU/HSW; 0.1 IACET CEU

The Federal Highway Administration released a new National Bridge Inspection Standard with significant changes to bridge inspection programs and accepted methods of steel bridge redundancy. We'll review how the changes impact your projects and explore the analytical framework needed to revisit the way we evaluate redundancy in steel bridges.

Our Publications

ENR

Cover Story

Q3 Tech Focus: Mixed Results as Smart Road Testing Begins

News

The Construction Safety Story Not Everyone Gets

Industry Leads for the Week of September 5, 2022

Pulse: Project News for the Week of September 5, 2022

Cybersecurity Threats Drive AEC Firms to Better Data Practices

Roman P. Wengler, Global Leader in Thin-Arch Concrete Dams, Dies

Labor, Materials Prices Drive Construction Costs Higher: IHS Markit Index

Oil Firms Show Interest to Build Gulf of Mexico Offshore Wind

Germany Pact Propels Eastern Canada as Green Hydrogen Hub

Ex-San Francisco DPW Director Sentenced to Seven Years in Corruption Case

How Sudden Concrete Pump Truck Shifts Hurt Workers

Tall-Timber Building Expected in Chicago, 151 Years After the Great Fire

Kiewit Hired as EPC for Fire-Damaged Freeport Gas Terminal Fix

Lawsuit in Quanta Services Deal Challenges Non-Compete Terms

Russia's Rosatom Moves Forward on Egypt Nuclear Plant Construction

Labor Pact Readies Delayed Maryland Purple Line for Major Restart

Contractor, Subcontractor on Rivian Project Will Pay Workers Owed Overtime, Illinois AG Says

Colorado Solar Project Highlights Potential of 'Agrivoltaics'

EPA Proposes to Add Some PFAS Chemicals to Superfund List

California High-Speed Rail Authority Approves $4B San Francisco Line

New Law Aims to Boost Low-Carbon Materials in Highways, Reconnect Neighborhoods

US, Mexico Set to Invest in Wastewater Plant Expansions

Court Stays Contractor COVID Vaccine Rule for ABC Members

Ex-Granite Senior VP Cited As Firm Reaches $12M SEC Fraud Settlement

San Francisco OKs Revamped Settling Millennium Tower Fix

Feature

Bringing Opioid Misuse Out of The Shadows

Construction Economics

Construction Economics for September 5, 2022

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