President-elect Joe Biden has proposed a $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief plan that is geared mostly toward immediate work on vaccine distribution and individual financial relief but includes funds for local governments, transit systems and school construction. Biden intends to follow up with a second plan in February that likely will include a greater focus on infrastructure.
A $766 million grant from the Federal Transit Administration has cleared the way for work to begin on the Portal North Bridge across the Hackensack River in New Jersey. Construction might begin this year on the $1.9 billion project.
Louisiana officials are weighing a proposed Interstate 10 interchange in Ascension Parish as they negotiate with the owner of land key to the project. A 2015 study put a $35 million price tag on the interchange, but it could cost more.
A project to build a lengthy causeway and a deepwater basin at the port in Nome, Alaska, has advanced with congressional approval. The Arctic Deep Draft project, estimated at $505.23 million, is entering the design phase as it seeks funding.
Burns & McDonnell Caribbean has been selected to manage a rebuild of Puerto Rico's power grid, which was devastated by Hurricane Maria in 2017. The multibillion-dollar project will also modernize the grid and replace a patchwork of repairs made since the hurricane.
A 53-mile electricity transmission corridor is beginning to take shape in Maine, with access-road plowing and equipment staging underway. Clearing is expected to begin Monday for the New England Clean Energy Connect, which requires a 54-foot-wide path for power lines.
The coronavirus pandemic is forcing a delay in some plans for Georgia Power's Plant Vogtle nuclear power plant. The utility expects a November timeline for launching Unit 3 to remain intact, as well as a launch a year later for Unit 4.
Unexpected "poor soils" in the Minneapolis section of a light-rail line under construction will delay the line's completion beyond a target date of 2023, according to the Metropolitan Council. It's unclear whether the delay will raise the cost of the 14.5-mile project.
Michigan has received requests for almost 58% of the $500 million it has available for wastewater projects via the Clean Water State Revolving Fund, and through Jan. 31, municipalities can apply for financing for projects that start next year. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's separate Clean Water Plan may increase access to water infrastructure funding, but the CWSRF will remain an essential funding vehicle, according to John LaMacchia of the Michigan Municipal League.
Surprisingly unstable subsurface rock has doubled the project cost for a $2.5 billion dam near Pacheco Pass in Santa Clara County, Calif., but the Santa Clara Valley Water District is proceeding. The dam would tower 319 feet and form the largest new Bay Area reservoir in 20 years.
Featuring a January virtual-only event and a June in-person conference, AGC's Construction Risk Management Two-Part Program offers contractors and their risk partners two opportunities in 2021 to network, share ideas and shape the business environment. The virtual event will provide you with a first-half outlook at the US economy, the surety and insurance marketplace, and the construction risk environment. You can view the agenda and speaker details for the virtual First-Half Outlook for the coming year (Part 1 on Jan. 26-28). And learn more about AGC's annual in-person risk management conference (Part 2 in Bonita Springs, Fla., on June 2-4). Surety bonds, insurance policies, construction contracts, and construction operations are all open for discussion. #AGCRisk2021 will benefit anyone interested in controlling the cost of managing the risks inherent in the changing construction industry. Register today (registration options are selected during checkout).
