October 27, 2025

The economic fallout from the Trump administration tariff war has already breached jobsites through acute materials cost increases and accelerated project timelines, say specialty contractors ranked this year.

Companies

Mace Consult Spinoff from UK Parent Was ‘a Long Time Coming,’ CEO Says

Company will be independent from London-based contractor Mace Group after majority investment by private equity investor Goldman Sachs Alternatives

Emell D. Adolphus

October 13, 2025

Firm intends to hit the ground running once its carve-out is completed, chief Davendra Debasia says.

A group of Western Arctic Herd caribou are seen during fall migration in Kobuk Valley National Park with mountains in the distance

Government

Trump Approves Appeal to Build Controversial Alaska Mining Road

James Leggate

October 14, 2025

One Comment

The proposed 211-mile Ambler Road is intended to open up new state areas for mining.

Transportation

World's Longest Cable-stayed Bridge Opens in China

Saibal Dasgupta

October 17, 2025

New record bridge over the Yangtze River includes an unusual, asymmetrical deck design that called for some engineering ingenuity.

Elevated Hanoi Metro train crossing Hoang Cau Lake at sunset.

Transportation

Hanoi Breaks Ground on $1.3B Metro Line 2 Segment Through Historic Core

The alignment will include both tunneling and elevated guideway

October 10, 2025

Hanoi advances its most complex metro build yet, marking a milestone for the city’s growing rail network

Clean Energy

California Plows New Millions Into Offshore Wind Energy Ports

Doug Puppel

October 15, 2025

Planned 400-acre, $5-billion Pier Wind terminal at Port of Long Beach would gain $20 million to support fabrication, assembly and deployment of floating offshore wind turbines.

Rendering of Port of Montreal Contrecœur terminal expansion on the St. Lawrence River.

Port Infrastructure

Montreal Port Authority Advances $1.2B Expansion With Contract to Aecon–Pomerleau JV

Contrecœur terminal project includes new berths, quay walls and an intermodal yard

October 13, 2025

Port's Contrecœur project clears a key milestone as construction ramps up and scrutiny over environmental impacts continues.

2025 National Election

Infrastructure Investment Still Key On Nov. 4 Off-Year Election Ballots

Jim Parsons

October 22, 2025

Va and NJ governors' races could be early referendums on the second Trump administration, while hundreds of millions in funding measures popped onto many local ballots this year

Rendering of Brightline West’s Rancho Cucamonga station with elevated tracks over street-level access.

Rail Construction

Brightline West Costs Rise 35% as Las Vegas–California Line Plan Advances

Developers seek $6B federal loan and potential bond restructuring for high-speed rail project

October 10, 2025

Despite new financial and logistical hurdles, construction preparation continues.

Worker Identified in Fatal Turner Construction Data Center Accident

Maurice McGowan, 28, died after being struck by articulating truck at Texas site

Vince Kong

October 10, 2025

Investigations and a pause in development are underway after the fatal accident at a Texas data center project that killed subcontractor employee Maurice McGowan, 28.

Engineers in protective gear conduct testing in a cleanroom, reflecting the rapid expansion of U.S. biomanufacturing facilities highlighted in CRB’s 2025 report.

Manufacturing Outlook

Tariffs, FDA Upheaval Drive New Wave of US Biomanufacturing Projects

Major drugmakers accelerating domestic CGMP investment and turning to modular, flexible and continuous-manufacturing designs

October 9, 2025

Rising tariffs and regulatory shake-ups are reshaping how drugmakers plan, design and deliver the next generation of U.S. biomanufacturing facilities.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy speaks at a podium with teleprompters beside him

Diversity

USDOT Removes Race and Sex From DBE Qualifications With Hard-launched Rule

James Leggate

October 9, 2025

The sudden change in DBE contracting rules has created uncertainty for both small firms and prime contractors that subcontract with them.

Transportation

More Amtrak Rail Yard Modernizations Underway

Jim Parsons

October 11, 2025

2 Comments

Amtrak continues to prepare for more riders and more modern train technology.

Bechtel Overhauls Safety Practices After Texas LNG Project Deaths

An internal investigation's findings were made public ahead of OSHA's probe

Richard Korman

October 13, 2025

Contractor says workers who died lacked proper training and failed to tie off, but Bechtel also failed to mentor new hires.

Risk

Contractor Liability Risk Grows as EPA Retains PFOA and PFOS Superfund Designations

Esther D'Amico

October 9, 2025

Lack of clarity over liability for PFAS "forever chemicals" at contaminated sites has contractors worried, says AGC.

Photos shows the desert site of the planned Esmeralda project, with a strip of mountains on the horizon.

Energy Policy

Feds Cancel 6.2-GW Nevada Solar Plant OK in Latest Barrage of Anti-renewables Crusade

October 13, 2025

Esmeralda Seven's multiple projects now must seek separate approvals to proceed, as administration expands list of renewables targeted for estimated $24 billion in funding cuts.

Energy

FERC Lifts Ban on Gas Infrastructure Construction During Project Appeals

October 21, 2025

Final agency rule, to take effect Nov. 10, removes regulations enacted by the Biden administration to better protect landowner rights and address concerns that projects could cause irreversible harm before challenges were resolved.

Government

Shadow Docket Looms Large in Current Supreme Court Term

Pam McFarland

October 21, 2025

Major construction-related cases being reviewed by the nation's high court are fewer this year, but industry groups are watching key disputes in lower courts that could soon rise.

Clean Energy Construction

Virginia's 2.6 GW Offshore Wind Megaproject to Hit Power-On Switch

$10.7B CVOW project off Virginia Beach will link first turbine energy to land-based grid in early 2026, Dominion Energy says

October 22, 2025

$10.7B CVOW project off Virginia Beach will link its first wind energy to the state grid in early 2026, Dominion Energy says. Could Trump administration clean energy attacks disrupt its completion and derail congressional permit reform efforts?

Workers in a cherry picker bucket near transmission lines

Transmission Infrastructure

Trump DOE Issues First Loan, $1.6B, for Five-State AEP Grid Upgrade

Funding comes as Energy Dept. and FERC are set to push rule to "rapidly accelerate” grid links of power loads larger than 20 MW, such as for data centers

October 20, 2025

Contractors will be hired state by state for $3.5B rebuild of high-voltage lines in Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Oklahoma and West Virginia—as Energy Dept. and FERC push rule to "rapidly accelerate” grid links of power loads larger than 20 MW, such as for data centers.

Gaming

$300M Loan Refinancing Helps Fund Nebraska Casino Construction, Expansions

A new round of financing is fueling casino growth in Nebraska

Annemarie Mannion

October 9, 2025

A refinancing deal is reshaping Nebraska’s casino landscape. See who’s behind the construction push.

remains of the Toyota in which Pedro Alfonso Castaneda died

Texas Case Exposes Cracks in the Government Contractor Immunity Shield

Immunity laws insulate government contractors from risk. Can they withstand legal challenges?

Elaine Silver

October 22, 2025

What has happened since Pedro Alfonso Castaneda died in a horrific crash in Pinehurst, Texas, worries contractors awaiting a crucial court ruling.

History

From the Archives: January 19, 1956

Lindsay Lewis

October 23, 2025

This 1956 photo shows the massive inclined ramp, known as the Helix, carrying traffic out from and into the Lincoln Tunnel on the New Jersey side of the Hudson River.

Technology First Read

Construction’s Productivity Paradox and the Urgent Need for Innovation in the Sector

Dan Horner argues new approaches are needed to build construction's pillars of productivity

Dan Horner

September 25, 2025

The author says construction must take advantage of technological advances such as AI and digital twins to innovate and improve construction efficiency.

Utility-Scale Solar Assisted by Xpanner X1 Kit, Black & Veatch

Jeff Yoders

October 23, 2025

More than 40 gigawatts of utility-scale solar generation was installed in 2023 according to Wood Mackenzie and the Solar Energy Industries Association.

Construction Economics for October 27, 2025

October 23, 2025