Road Builders project minor boost in 2017 highway, bridge activity

Total transportation construction and related market activity is expected to grow 1.3 percent in 2017, driven largely by increases in highway and bridge work supporting residential and commercial developments. American Road & Transportation Builders Association Chief Economist Dr. Alison Premo Black projects spending to reach $248 billion, up from an estimated $245 billion in 2016.

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Road Builders project minor boost in 2017 highway, bridge activity

Sources: American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA), Washington, D.C.; CP staff

Total transportation construction and related market activity is expected to grow 1.3 percent in 2017, driven largely by increases in highway and bridge work supporting residential and commercial developments. ARTBA Chief Economist Dr. Alison Premo Black projects spending to reach $248 billion, up from an estimated $245 billion in 2016. 

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White House guidance stands to hamper transportation project permits

The American Road & Transportation Builders Association has asked the Federal Highway Administration to withdraw a proposal to measure greenhouse gas emissions from new transportation projects. The agency action is part of larger performance measures required under the 2012 Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21) surface transportation reauthorization law, and follows the White House’s early-August release of “Final Guidance on Considering Climate Change in Environmental Reviews” for federal agencies.

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Construction interests compound court challenges to OSHA silica rule

Associated Builders & Contractors, Associated General Contractors of America American Road & Transportation Builders Association and four peer groups plan to join eight state affiliates petitioning the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit for review of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s final rule on crystalline silica exposure. Released in late March, it sets a threshold of 50-micrograms per cubic meter of air, averaged over an eight-hour shift, compared to a longstanding 250-microgram level for the construction industry.

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Construction interests challenge OSHA silica rule on multiple fronts

Sources: Associated Builders & Contractors (ABC), Associated General Contractors of America (AGC), American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA), Washington, D.C.; National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association, Alexandria, Va.; CP staff

Seven national construction organizations, led by ABC, AGC and ARTBA, plan to join eight state affiliates petitioning the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit for review of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s final rule on crystalline silica exposure. Released in late March, it sets a threshold of 50-micrograms per cubic meter of air, averaged over an eight-hour shift, compared to a longstanding 250-microgram level for the construction industry.

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Post-EPA rule fly ash consumption eclipses pre-recession level

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The volume of coal fly ash used in concrete production increased to 13.1 million tons in 2014, exceeding the 12.6 million ton utilization mark set in 2008, according to the American Coal Ash Association’s (ACAA) “Production and Use Survey,” released in late 2015. Increases in the use of synthetic gypsum from power plant emissions control equipment also helped to push the recycling rate for all types of coal combustion products (CCP) to a record 48 percent.

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Road Builders: FAST stabilizes highway funding, bumps DOT purchasing power

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An American Road & Transportation Builders Association analysis of the five-year, $305 billion Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST) signed into last month finds: “While the total core highway investment increase during the [five-year] life of the bill will be just over 15 percent, yearly assessments are a better gauge of market impact. Highway investment will jump 5.1 percent in FY 2016 and then slow to rates of growth between 2.1 percent and 2.4 percent for [FY 2017–2020]. Investment levels will exceed projected inflation by a total of $1.7 billion over five years and beat projected construction material cost increases by $1 billion over the same period. As a result, federal highway investment will see narrow increases in purchasing power through 2020, but the FAST Act’s biggest impact on the highway construction market will be the stability it provides states and the private sector.”

 
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Headwaters bullish on long-term fly ash availability, consumption trends

Sources: Headwaters Inc., South Jordan, Utah; CP staff

Backed by findings from an American Coal Ash Association (ACAA) report on U.S. production and utilization of coal combustion products (CCP), the top marketer of ASTM C 618-grade fly ash foresees 20 years of supply chain stability—countering the perceived effect of present regulatory and energy market forces reshaping power utilities’ fuel profile.

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Road Builders: FAST stabilizes highway funding, bumps DOT purchasing power

Sources: American Road & Transportation Builders Association, Washington, D.C.; CP staff

An ARTBA analysis of the five-year, $305 billion Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST) that President Obama signed December 4 notes: “While the total core highway investment increase during the [five-year] life of the bill will be just over 15 percent, yearly assessments are a better gauge of market impact.

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Highway funding, training programs top priorities for ARTBA Chairman Zachry

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Upon his election as 2015-16 American Road & Transportation Builders Association chairman, David Zachry told members the group will remain laser-focused on ensuring a long-term Highway Trust Fund fix and Congressional approval of a multi-year bill boosting federal surface transportation investment; advocate for increased federal investment in airport construction; and, build “Transportation Makes America Work” lobbying and advocacy communications program participation.

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