May 30, 2008
Industry Watch
Construction begins on $5.2B Keystone pipeline
Work started this week on a new $5.2 billion oil-sands export pipeline project in Alberta, Canada. The Keystone Pipeline will bring raw oil-sands bitumen to the U.S. Midwest and is the fist significant addition to the North American oil-shipping network since the mid 1990s. Canada.com (CanWest News Service) (5/29)
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May 27, 2008
Redevelopment could resolve Nashville eminent domain conflict
An arduous eminent domain conflict is taking place in Nashville, where the Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency is trying to take a property belonging to the owner of Country International Records to make way for a mixed-use development. An option that would allow the owner to redevelop the building to conform with the development plans, however, could resolve the situation. Nashville City Paper (Tenn.) (5/27)
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April 18, 2008
Virginia roads spending cut by 44% under revised plan
Virginia will see a 44% reduction in statewide spending for roads due to lawmakers' refusal to raise taxes for the roads or increase funding for transportation improvements, according to projections. The state's six-year statewide road and transit plan was slashed by $1.1 billion under a revised plan, due largely to the rising cost of construction materials. According to the Associated General Contractors, federal statistics show that the cost of road and highway construction materials rose 49% from December 2003 through January, while consumer inflation was 14.5%. The Washington Post (4/17)
April 16, 2008
Report: More safety improvements needed for Big Dig tunnels
More repairs are needed to Boston's Big Dig project before all tunnels can be considered safe, according to an engineering firm's safety review. Among the necessary repairs are replacement of a fire suppression system to improve removal of hot and toxic gases in the Sumner Tunnel, according to the report from Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates. Boston Herald/Associated Press (4/14)
April 15, 2008
Beijing to freeze construction during Olympic Games
Officials in Beijing have announced ambitious plans to halt construction projects, close quarries and slow steel production in and around the city this summer to clear the air before the Olympics and live up to its pledge to stage green games. The plans call for a two-month freeze on construction projects beginning July 20, and coal-burning plants will be required to reduce emissions by 30% during the summer. The New York Times (4/15)
April 11, 2008
Reconstruction of New Mexico interchange a complex undertaking
The reconstruction of the "Big I" intersection of Interstates 25 and 40 in Albuquerque, N.M., has been much more of a complex logistical undertaking than the original construction of the interchange in the 1960s. Costly landscaping projects are involved in the $10 million effort, which started in July 2007. Associated Construction
January 25, 2008
Big Dig contractors agree to $458M settlement
In a legal settlement with Massachusetts, Bechtel/Parsons Brinckerhoff, the consortium that led the Big Dig project in Boston, will pay $407 million and pay for repairs to leaks and design flaws in the project. The consortium will not face criminal charges for a fatal tunnel collapse. Several smaller companies will pay about $51 million, collectively, in the case. The Washington Post (1/24)
January 23, 2008
Chinese construction firms win major American projects
Chinese firms signed more than $5.5 billion worth of construction-related contracts in Europe and the U.S. in 2006, an increase of more than 160% over the previous year, according to a new report. Among the biggest projects is a new $91 million railway station at Yankee Stadium in New York City, awarded to CCA, the American subsidiary of the China State Construction Engineering Corp. CIOB International (U.K.) (1/22)
