March 6, 2023

Check out the March 6, 2023 edition of ENR, featuring part one of a series: Rugged Construction, the $1B Corridor H project in the Appalachian Highlands, news and more!

Rugged Construction | Part One of an ENR Series

West Virginia Wild: Crews Carve Out Corridor H Through the Appalachian Mountains

Aileen Cho

March 1, 2023

When crews with Kokosing Construction Co. began a $209-million design-build contract—the largest of its kind in West Virginia—in 2015, they first had to build roads in order to build the actual road called Corridor H.

Geo Week Events Call for Action on Climate, Workflow, Diversity in Geotechnical Disciplines

Esri’s Jack Dangermond spotlights GIS interconnectivity, urges industrywide collaboration for ‘mapping common ground’

Jennifer Seward

February 17, 2023

Water Resources

Updated: Army Announces Changes in Senior Corps of Engineers Positions

Tom Ichniowski

February 17, 2023

Changes include new deputy chief of engineers, the Corps' No. 2 position.

Federal Regulation

Federal Contractors See Costs, Flaws in Proposed Emissions Reporting Rule

Mary B. Powers

Debra K. Rubin

February 23, 2023

In just submitted comments, trade groups cite concerns in proposed rule to track direct and indirect emissions as it is set to finalize, but some join advocates in seeing it as key step to reduce climate impact

New Work Set for 1930s-Era Cape Cod Bridges

Span replacement designs also progress despite current lack of federal funds

Scott Van Voorhis

February 19, 2023

Maintenance and repair work is planned for two spans linked to mainland Massachusetts while designs for their estimated $4-billion replacements move forward.

Power and Industrial

Energy Dept. to Award up to $2.5B for Carbon Capture Projects

Pam McFarland

February 27, 2023

Agency hopes to spur private capital investment in carbon capture and storage projects to help reduce harmful emissions, with funds authoried by the 2021 federal infrastructure law.

Water Quality

Small, Disadvantaged Communities Get $2B PFAS Treatment Funding

Funds are available through new, noncompetitive grant program

Pam McFarland

February 14, 2023

EPA announces grant program to address pervasive pollutants in community drinking water systems.

Electric Vehicles

DOT, DOE Set Standards to Advance EV Charging

Tom Ichniowski

February 15, 2023

Package includes $7M in planning grants for major highway freight corridors.

Earthquake Damage in Turkey Tops $34B in Latest Estimate

Jeff Rubenstone

March 1, 2023

While a great deal of critical infrastructure is up and running again, an ongoing housing crisis and internal displacements due to a pair of earthquakes last month are still felt acutely in southern Turkey.

Transportation Agencies Seek New Ways to Build

Aileen Cho

February 15, 2023

Executives discussed building big with limited resources at the Western Winter Workshop infrastructure project delivery event in California earlier this month.

Manufacturing

Ford Plans $3.5B Michigan EV Battery Plant With New Twist

James Leggate

February 15, 2023

Electric Mustangs are set to use factory's first in the U.S. lithium iron phosphate batteries, which are more durable with less high-cost materials, automaker says, despite lawmaker concerns about the China link.

Clean Energy Construction

Offshore Wind Leaps Forward in 2022, But Some Headwinds Persist

Debra K. Rubin

February 26, 2023

Report says US sector hit big development milestones last year, including project movements and three federal lease auctions that added 11.4 GW in capacity, with another set in the Gulf of Mexico, but advocacy group says this still likely won't meet Biden call for 30 GW of power deployed by 2030.

Contracts

AECOM Wins PM Contract for Dallas Fair Park Upgrades

City voters passed ballot measure last year to boost hotel occupancy taxes to $300 million for some upgrades

James Leggate

February 17, 2023

City voters passed a ballot measure last year to boost hotel occupancy taxes to generate $300 million for some upgrades to park known for hosting the State Fair of Texas

Structural Engineering

Steel Group Publishes Design Guide for SpeedCore

Modular shear-wall core system touted as safer, simpler and faster to build than a concrete core

Nadine M. Post

February 23, 2023

Novel high-rise shear-wall core system, consisting of tied steel-plate modules that are field-filled with concrete, has been used on two buildings.

Battery Power to Take Center Stage at CONEXPO 2023

Jeff Yoders

Jeff Rubenstone

March 1, 2023

The rise of battery-powered construction equipment has been a slow-but-steady trend over the last few years as manufacturers look to hit carbon-reduction and net-zero targets in the coming decades.

Environment

Quickening Alaska National Park Landslides Spur $100M Fix

Stephanie Loder

February 21, 2023

Granite Construction wins contract to construct a bridge in Denali National Park to bypass slides that closed a key access road.

Environmental Remediation

NTSB Issues Initial Ohio Derailment Report as EPA Takes Over Cleanup

Jim Parsons

February 24, 2023

As government pressure mounts on Norfolk Southern to conduct and pay for comprehensive area cleanup, Arcadis and AECOM have been hired to assist.

First Tank Wraps at Fast-Track Gulf Coast LNG Export Site

March 1, 2023

McDermott completed roof-raise of storage tank last month at Venture Global Plaquemines export site under construction in Louisiana, set to ship gas by 2024.

Legal

Ex-Atlanta Official Sentenced to Prison for Contractor Bribes

James Leggate

February 27, 2023

Jo Ann Macrina, a former city water commissioner, will serve a 4.5-prison term, while a former PRAD Group executive also faces criminal charges related to accusations of bribing officials.

Workforce Training

Ironworkers Union Earns Third-Party Accreditation for Safety Courses

James Leggate

February 24, 2023

International Accreditation Services has certified two programs and union leaders are seeking certification for a third.

Economics

27% Drop in Construction Starts Is Not Sign of Industry Downturn, Dodge Economist Says

James Leggate

February 23, 2023

Nonresidential and nonbuilding starts remained higher for the 12 months ending in January compared to a year earlier.

New DOE Study Calls for Tripling US Transmission Capacity

Debra K. Rubin

March 2, 2023

US Energy Dept. needs analysis estimates that 47,300 GW-miles of new lines must be built by 2035, a 57% increase, as renewable sources expand—but study says grid investment has steadily declined since 2015.

Workforce

US Labor Secretary Marty Walsh Says He Will Leave Post in March

Biden cabinet member, also ex-mayor and building trades chief in Boston, will head hockey players union; deputy Julie Su is successor

Tom Ichniowski

Justin Rice

Pam McFarland

February 16, 2023

Agency deputy Julie Su, also a former California labor agency chief, will succeed the former Boston mayor, who is set to be executive director of the National Hockey League Players’ Association.

Infrastructure Act

FHWA Issues New IIJA Highway Funding Memo Clarifying States' Role

Tom Ichniowski

February 24, 2023

The memo from FHWA settles a months-long controversy over highway funding priorities.

Pulse: Project News for the Week of March 6, 2023

March 1, 2023

Project news from Dodge Data & Analytics.

Industry Leads for the Week of March 6, 2023

March 1, 2023

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

Technology First Read

Busy Work or Empowerment? Something Has to Change About Tech in the Field

Office personnel need to understand that if tech tools get in the way in the field, they won't be embraced

Harsh Vardhan Singh

January 27, 2023

For technology tools to make a real impact in construction they must be used beyond minimum requirements. That means understanding and respecting the processes of the jobsite.

Construction Economics for March 6, 2023

March 1, 2023

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

Get practical advice from speakers at Suffolk Construction, Commodore Builders, and Ryan Companies. In this webinar, you'll hear real project stories and proven data analytics strategies using real-time dashboards and reports that continuously improve how they build, operate and compete.

Our Publications

ENR

Cover Story

West Virginia Wild: Crews Carve Out Corridor H Through the Appalachian Mountains

News

Geo Week Events Call for Action on Climate, Workflow, Diversity in Geotechnical Disciplines

Updated: Army Announces Changes in Senior Corps of Engineers Positions

Federal Contractors See Costs, Flaws in Proposed Emissions Reporting Rule

New Work Set for 1930s-Era Cape Cod Bridges

Energy Dept. to Award up to $2.5B for Carbon Capture Projects

Small, Disadvantaged Communities Get $2B PFAS Treatment Funding

DOT, DOE Set Standards to Advance EV Charging

Earthquake Damage in Turkey Tops $34B in Latest Estimate

Transportation Agencies Seek New Ways to Build

Ford Plans $3.5B Michigan EV Battery Plant With New Twist

Offshore Wind Leaps Forward in 2022, But Some Headwinds Persist

AECOM Wins PM Contract for Dallas Fair Park Upgrades

Steel Group Publishes Design Guide for SpeedCore

Battery Power to Take Center Stage at CONEXPO 2023

Quickening Alaska National Park Landslides Spur $100M Fix

NTSB Issues Initial Ohio Derailment Report as EPA Takes Over Cleanup

First Tank Wraps at Fast-Track Gulf Coast LNG Export Site

Ex-Atlanta Official Sentenced to Prison for Contractor Bribes

Ironworkers Union Earns Third-Party Accreditation for Safety Courses

27% Drop in Construction Starts Is Not Sign of Industry Downturn, Dodge Economist Says

New DOE Study Calls for Tripling US Transmission Capacity

US Labor Secretary Marty Walsh Says He Will Leave Post in March

FHWA Issues New IIJA Highway Funding Memo Clarifying States' Role

Pulse: Project News for the Week of March 6, 2023

Industry Leads for the Week of March 6, 2023

Departments

Busy Work or Empowerment? Something Has to Change About Tech in the Field

Construction Economics

Construction Economics for March 6, 2023

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