David Porter - ASSOCIATED PRESS - Fri November 27, 2015
Hudson Tunnel: Is Oft-Maligned Agency Up to the Challenge?
NEW YORK (AP) - There’s no question the agency that operates much of the infrastructure around the nation’s largest city has lost esteem in recent years because of flubs including a scandal that reached into the New Jersey governor’s office, billions of dollars in overruns on projects including the new World Trade Center, and an audit calling it ”challenged and dysfunctional.’So why should the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey be trusted to oversee the $20 billion construction of a new Hudson River rail tunnel, one of the largest infrastructure projects the region has ever seen?Simply put, no one else is as qualified....
Tue November 24, 2015
D-Mar General Expects Rise in Projects, Positions
Survey findings released by The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) in October illustrated the severity of the construction industry’s workforce shortage, with 86 percent of all firms reporting trouble filling hourly and/or salaried positions....
Erik Schelzig - ASSOCIATED PRESS - Tue November 24, 2015
Haslam: Decide Road Priorities
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) Republican Gov. Bill Haslam is calling on state lawmakers to decide on Tennessee’s priorities on future road projects before resolving the politically tricky issue of finding a way to pay for them....
Seanna Adcox - ASSOCIATED PRESS - Mon November 23, 2015
Aid for Roads Won’t Improve Highway System
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) An influx of federal money to repair hundreds of roads and bridges damaged by last month’s historic flooding will do little to improve South Carolina’s dilapidated highway system....
Thu November 19, 2015
Illinois Tollway Issues $400M in New Revenue Bonds
The Illinois Tollway today sold $400 million in senior revenue bonds – the second of two new-money bond issues totaling $800 million in 2015. The Tollway bonds are priced to produce reoffering yields ranging from 2.77 percent to 3.65 percent and yields to maturity ranging from 2.93 percent to 4.25 percent....
Fri November 20, 2015
OSHA Fines Could Increase Over 80 Percent Next Year
According to the National Law Review, Congress recently passed the budget agreement which contained a provision which permits OSHA to raise fines significantly starting in August 2016. The law permits a one-time “catch up” increase up to 82 percent, since fines have not been raised since 1990....
Tue November 17, 2015
Christie Names Hammer New Transportation Commissioner
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) Gov. Chris Christie has named Richard Hammer as New Jersey’s newest transportation commissioner. Christie, a Republican, said in a statement Friday he will formally nominate Hammer to succeed Jamie Fox, the longtime Democratic operative, who announced his resignation earlier this month....
Wed November 18, 2015
DOT Wins Face Off Over Gordie Howe Bridge
DETROIT (AP) - The Michigan Department of Transportation has cleared a hurdle as it moves to acquire property for construction of a $2.1 billion bridge across the Detroit River between Canada and the U.S....
Will Weissert - ASSOCIATED PRESS - Sat November 14, 2015
Voters Approve Prop 7 for Road Construction, Maintenance
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) Voters statewide approved all seven proposed amendments to the Texas Constitution on Nov. 3, including Proposition 7 which will pump billions of extra public dollars into roads. Proposition 5 lets counties with fewer than 7,500 people privatize road construction and maintenance — up from the current maximum of 5,000 residents....
Giles Lambertson - Mon November 16, 2015
North Americans Could Solve their Construction Problems
The North Americas are on the move, though not exactly in the same direction and certainly not in any coordinated way. Heavy contractors and makers of construction machinery would love to see more cooperation among Canada, Mexico and the U.S....
