| November 8, 2012 | News for contractors and the construction industry |
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| Top Story |  |  |
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| Infrastructure & Project Focus | | |
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- Nev. to explore alternative ways to build $1.8B highway
The Nevada Transportation Board has approved $3 million for financial and legal advice on the $1.8 billion Interstate 15 improvement project. The consultants will examine construction and funding options for Project Neon, which is slated to begin in 2015 and be finished in 2017. The project is expected to create 4,100 jobs. Las Vegas Sun
(11/6)      
- GC sought for $800M casino project in Md.
Peterson Cos., developer of National Harbor, a large residential and mixed-use community on the Potomac River in Prince George's County, Md., just outside Washington, D.C., says MGM Resorts International is talking with prospective general contractors for its proposed "$800 million destination-resort casino." The casino resort will be built in either National Harbor or nearby Rosecroft Raceway. American City Business Journals/Baltimore
(11/7)
- Fixing N.J.'s aging infrastructure a huge challenge
New Jersey's aging infrastructure was ill-prepared for Hurricane Sandy, and it remains vulnerable any time there is widespread flooding, this article notes. A 2009 ASCE report said the state needed to spend about $9 billion to upgrade wastewater treatment plants and $7 billion over the next 20 years to upgrade drinking water infrastructure. "The numbers are so big it is going to rely on federal dollars and borrowing," said Rich Keevey, a state budget crisis task force member and former state budget director. NJSpotlight.com (New Jersey)
(11/6)
| Economic Update | | |
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- Construction sector pulls together for massive post-Sandy work
In the aftermath of superstorm Sandy, contractors are working to restore power, pump millions of gallons of water from flooded areas, and provide equipment to help state officials overwhelmed by the magnitude of the cleanup. Sandy's cost could reach $30 billion to $50 billion, according to an economist at IHS Global Insight. That does not necessarily translate into "being much of a net positive" for the construction industry, says Ken Simonson, chief economist of AGC. "I think that there will be some pickup for construction in the immediate area, but a lot of that activity will take a long time to get going," said Simonson. Engineering News-Record
(11/7)
| Innovation & Green Building | | |
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- A wobbling bridge of stretched steel cables designed for Paris
"Water At-traction," a pedestrian bridge to be built across the Seine River in Paris, will be made of steel cables fastened between the banks by springs. The bridge will offer two ways to cross the river: one is a traditional span with a concrete mesh bottom, and the other will be "extremely narrow, wobbly paths reminiscent of Himalayan footbridges." Camille Mourier of bureau faceB, the company that designed the bridge, said, "The objective was to get closer to the water, to regain contact with the river. We wanted the pedestrian to find this feeling." FastCoDesign
(11/6)
| Policy Watch | | |
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- U.S. lawmakers turn to threat of "fiscal cliff"
With the question of who will be president answered, the U.S. must now confront the "fiscal cliff" of tax hikes and spending cuts that economists say could return the economy to decline. Speaker of the House John Boehner, R-Ohio, gave a speech on Capitol Hill that struck a conciliatory tone but seemed to flatly reject any compromise that included an increase in taxes. CNN
(11/8), The Washington Post
(11/7), The Hill/Hill Tube
(11/7)
| Association News | | |
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