The Associated Builders and Contractors Construction Backlog Indicator (CBI) of nonresidential and infrastructure segments expanded to 9.67 months during the fourth quarter of 2017, its highest level ever, and finished the year up 1.36 months—16.3 percent higher than 2016.
Read MoreMonth: April 2018
Mayors, governors promote P3s for public buildings
A bipartisan group of 14 mayors and 10 governors have sent letters to Congressional leadership expressing their strong support for the Public Buildings Renewal Act (S. 3177/ H.R.5361) or PBRA, which will spur private investment in rebuilding America’s unsafe and dilapidated public buildings. The bill would permit state and local governments to access $5 billion in private activity bonds (PAB) for the financing of critical construction and infrastructure projects for qualified schools, hospitals, courthouses, universities, police stations, and prisons.
Read MoreBuried Structures lab study confirms escalating water main break rates
The Utah State University Buried Structures Laboratory identifies performance and engineering trends surrounding commonly used pipe materials in “Water Main Break Rates In the USA and Canada: A Comprehensive Study.”
Read MoreUnderwriters scrutinize hurricane-prone states’ building code adoption
The Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety’s 2018 edition of Rating the States follows a disastrous year of storms, authors note, and is well timed to inform discussion and action to improve building strength as communities repair or replace hurricane-damaged properties.
Read MoreResiliency Council eyes buildings’ seismic factors
Growing concern over the threat of a major earthquake in California has sparked a statewide movement for resiliency and pending legislation that calls for the identification of buildings most vulnerable to seismic damage and collapse. Scientists contend that stress along the San Andreas fault has been building with little relief since the mid-1800s. The next “Big One” could come at any moment and reach a 7.5 or higher magnitude. The force of such an event could result in twice the damage of Hurricane Katrina and be up to 45 times more destructive than the Northridge earthquake that hit southern California in 1994.
Read MoreUrban group drafts principles for building resilient population centers
A new Urban Land Institute Center for Sustainability and Economic Performance report proposes fundamentals for resilient cities and regions to anticipate, respond to, and recover from immediate shocks such as hurricanes and other extreme weather events, plus long-term stresses such as sea-level rise and declining population.
Read MoreIndustry embraces workforce development
Ready mixed and manufactured-concrete producers have enjoyed gradually improving business for much of the past five years. Like employers throughout the economy, many have encountered a tightening labor market, culminating with 2018 unemployment levels approaching 20-year lows and industry-wide prioritizing of recruiting and retaining production and delivery talent.
Read MorePaver contractors log strong project sales despite labor shortages
Sources: Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute, Chantilly, Va.; CP staff
Gross sales for concrete paver contractors in the United States and Canada increased by 7.7 percent during 2017, while four of every five contractors cite difficulty in recruiting and hiring quality employees, according to a new Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute survey.
Read MoreFeds delineate cement mason vs. landscaper labor in back wages case
Sources: U.S. Department of Labor; CP staff
Following a Labor Department Wage and Hour Division (WHD) investigation, Sterling Heights, Mich.-based Metropolitan Concrete Corp. will pay $73,647 in back wages to 15 employees working under the H-2B non-immigrant visa program, which provides for the admission of non-immigrants to the U.S. to perform temporary non-agricultural labor or services.
Read MoreASTM Committees C01, C07, C12, C15 to host masonry innovation workshop
Source: ASTM International, West Conshohocken, Pa.
ASTM International Committees on Cement (C01), Lime and Limestone (C07), Mortar and Grouts for Unit Masonry (C12), and Manufactured Masonry Units (C15) are cosponsoring the Workshop: Innovations in Collaborative Research, Development and Applications, June 26 at the Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina.
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