Management consulting and investment banking firm FMI released its third-quarter 2013 Construction Outlook. According to the report, markets continue to shift, reducing annual Construction-Put-Place predictions to $909.6 billion, down nearly $4 billion from previous predictions. Early forecasts for 2014 show annual CPIP continues moderate growth of 7 percent, rising to $977 billion.
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NSSGA Kicks Off Awards Program
NSSGA’s safety, environmental and community relations awards program has kicked off, according to the association.
Read MoreKnife River Lands North Dakota Project
Knife River Corp., a subsidiary of MDU Resources Group Inc., has received a $51 million North Dakota highway construction contract for a bypass project on Highway 85. This is the largest road-construction contract Knife River has been awarded in the state.
Read MoreProduction Volume Dips in Second Quarter
According to to the U.S. Geological Survey’s (USGS) quarterly sample survey of aggregates producers, lower stone production characterized the second quarter of the year when compared to last year.
Read MoreConstruction Industry Facing Labor Shortages
Nearly three-fourths of construction firms across the country report they are having trouble finding qualified craft workers to fill key spots amid concerns that labor shortages will only get worse, according to the results of an industry-wide survey released by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials called for immigration and education reform measures to help avoid worker shortages.
Read MoreImproving Markets Report Hits New High
A total of 291 metropolitan areas across the country now qualify as improving housing markets, according to the National Association of Home Builders/First American Improving Markets Index (IMI) for September. This reflects a gain of 44 markets from August and marks the index’s highest level since it was initiated two years ago.
Read MoreAsphalt Demand to Approach 28 Million Tons in 2017
U.S. demand for asphalt is forecast to increase 3.7 percent annually to 27.9 million tons in 2017, according to a new report by the Cleveland-based Freedonia Group. This is equivalent to 154 million barrels of primary asphalt, the vast majority of which is refined petroleum asphalt.
Read MoreLimestone Cited as Benefit to Green Concrete
Adding limestone powder to “green” concrete mixtures – those containing substantial amounts of fly ash, a byproduct of coal-burning power plants – can significantly improve performance, according to researchers from the national Institute for Standards and technology (NIST) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).
Read MoreEPA Launches Online Tool for EIS Access
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) launched an interactive web-based mapping tool that provides the public with access and information on Environmental Impact Statements (EIS) filed with EPA for major projects proposed on federal lands and other proposed federal actions.
Read MoreJones Confirmed
The Senate confirmed a director to head the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), ending a seven-year run in which the agency has been without a permanent, full-time head. B. Todd Jones, the U.S. attorney for Minnesota and the acting part-time director of the bureau was confirmed by a vote of 53 to 42.
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