from Mark Smith, Advocate, California Builders Alliance
Calif. offers vouchers of up to $500K for e-equipment
The application window is open through Feb. 13 for California's Clean Off-Road Equipment Voucher Incentive Project, which offers vouchers of up to $500,000 for the purchase or lease of electric construction equipment. Twenty-four models are eligible, including excavators and loaders from manufacturers including Caterpillar and Case Construction Equipment. Full Story: Equipment World
The Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) has published the latest California Consumer Price Index Table.
It has been posted on the DIR website at https://www.dir.ca.gov/oprl/CPI/PresentCCPI.PDF.
For additional California CPI data that is published by the DIR, please visit our website at: https://www.dir.ca.gov/oprl/CAPriceIndex.htm.
July construction starts surge 10%
Residential starts were down but nonresidential building and infrastructure construction more than compensated as overall starts rose 10% in July to reach a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $1.1 trillion, according to Dodge Construction Network. The nonresidential category rose 25% while infrastructure was up 19% and residential fell 8%, leaving overall year-to-date starts through July up 6% from a year before. Full Story: Dodge Data & Analytics
BLS shaves 45,000 from construction job gains
The Bureau of Labor Statistics has reduced by 45,000 the number of construction jobs it reported that the nation had added in the year ended in March. "The frustrating thing about this revision is that it says nothing about what has happened since March, so we don't know if the April to July numbers are still accurate," says Ken Simonson, Associated General Contractors of America chief economist. "If so, that suggests construction employment has actually strengthened in recent months," although perhaps not as much as originally reported. Full Story: Engineering News-Record (tiered subscription model)
Markets position for Fed rate cuts after Powell's speech
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell indicated Friday in Jackson Hole, Wyo., that interest-rate cuts are on the way, leading markets to consider the size of the first reduction and the path of monetary policy. Powell said the "time has come" for the central bank to reduce the benchmark rate from a two-decade high, noting progress on inflation and saying central bankers will watch the labor market closely as they evaluate where to take monetary policy. Treasury yields and the dollar fell after his remarks, and stocks rose. Full Story: Bloomberg
HUD: July apartment starts up from June, down YOY
July construction starts for apartment buildings with five or more units were up 11.7% from June but down 21.8% year-on-year, according to a monthly report by the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Meanwhile in the same category, developers pulled permits for a seasonally adjusted rate of 408,000 apartments, down 12.4% from June and down 18.2% from a year before. Full Story: Multifamily Dive
US leads world as hotel pipeline grows in Q2
The US led the world in a record pipeline of hotel construction projects in the second quarter, according to Lodging Econometrics' Q2 2024 Global Construction Pipeline Trend Report. The US accounted for a record 6,095 projects as the global total rose 6% from a year before to 15,453, with upper midscale, upscale and midscale chain scales dominant in accord with predicted traveler patterns. Full Story: Construction Dive
Surveys suggest labor shortage is delaying work
The construction industry is facing critical labor shortages, 62% of Kansas City, Mo., contractors and 59% of contractors in North Carolina reporting project delays due to a lack of qualified workers, according to the Associated General Contractors of America. To combat these challenges, AGC is calling for greater federal investment in workforce development and vocational training, as well as immigration reforms to help fill the growing number of open positions. Full Story: The Herald-Sun (Durham, N.C.) (free registration) KSHB-TV (Kansas City, Mo.) WDAF-TV (Kansas City, Mo.)
Infrastructure initiatives facing voters in Nov.
Infrastructure and engineering projects will join the presidential race on ballots around the country in November. The American Society of Civil Engineers is keeping an eye on a number of the major initiatives, including these in California, Colorado, Oklahoma and Rhode Island. Full Story: American Society of Civil Engineers
Stricter standards more popular than relocation, bans
Stricter standards for construction to deal with extreme weather are favored by nearly three-quarters of Americans, according to a Pew Research Center study. However, a much lower percentage of respondents favored outright construction bans or moving people out of areas endangered by weather. Full Story: Construction Briefing
$789 million awarded to build 2,483 sustainable homes
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that 24 projects in 20 California communities will receive more than $789 million in cap-and-trade funds to build housing an…
Continue reading $789 million awarded to build 2,483 sustainable homes
FHWA offers $800M in low-carbon materials incentives
The Federal Highway Administration is offering a total of $800 million to incentivize transportation agencies to use low-carbon products in their projects. The funding comes under the Low Carbon Transportation Materials Program and is intended to offset the often higher cost of such products, according to FHWA Administrator Shailen Bhatt. Full Story: Construction Dive
BLM to fast-track solar on public lands in 11 states
The Bureau of Land Management on Thursday finalized plans to accelerate solar development on public lands in the Western US. The strategy targets 31 million acres of low-conflict land with strong potential for renewables in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and other states, laying the groundwork for streamlined permitting processes. The White House also reported that it's reduced the average permitting time by 6 months and hopes to achieve additional improvements through the initiative. Full Story: Reuters
The latest in wearable safety devices
Digital devices that can be worn can make a real difference reducing the risk of injury on construction sites. Joe Zagorski looks at some of the latest advances in eWear developed through the Stanford Wearable Electronics Initiative, including augmented-reality glasses, virtual-reality headsets, motion sensors and exoskeletons that augment a wearer's strength. Full Story: For Construction Pros
AECOM to manage $8.3B San Francisco rail extension
AECOM will provide program and construction management services for the $8.3 billion Downtown Rail Extension project in San Francisco with the company's selection by the Transbay Joint Powers Authority. The 1.3-mile extension will be mainly below ground with the use of cut-and-cover and mined tunneling. Full Story: Construction Briefing
Students sample the trades at San Diego summer camp
High schools students from 15 to 18 in San Diego had a chance to experience the trades at Skate 4 Concrete's first summer camp, sponsored by the nonprofit Project Cornerstone. Activities included equipment operation, concrete jobs and welding in a program that Project Cornerstone hopes will help solve the persistent labor shortage in construction. Full Story: Construction Dive
Service members try out construction at Alcatraz
The Concrete Preservation Institute Foundation is giving active-duty members of the US military an introduction to construction in a program on Alcatraz Island in California. The 12-week program is a team effort by the nonprofit CPI Foundation, the Department of Defense and the National Park Service that introduces service members to construction as a possible career while they help repair historic structures on the island and at the Pearl Harbor National Memorial. Full Story: Engineering News-Record (tiered subscription model)
Klamath River dams breached, enabling salmon migration
Salmon can swim freely through the Klamath River watershed near the California-Oregon border for the first time in over a century. On Wednesday, workers breached the final dams on the river as part of the largest dam removal project in US history, which aims to restore key salmon habitats ahead of the fall Chinook spawning season. Full Story: The Associated Press
Turner kicks off delayed $2.9B Calif. airport project
Turner Construction last week began construction on a $2.9 billion project to upgrade Terminal 3 at San Francisco International Airport. The work, which had been delayed by the pandemic, will renovate the western half of the terminal to include seismic fortification while also introducing 200,000 square feet of additional food and retail space. Full Story: Construction Dive
Granite to rebuild Calif. I-40 rest area
Granite Construction announced it has secured a $45 million contract to rebuild a California rest area along Interstate 40 west of Needles. Work is expected to begin this week on the project, with upgrades specified by the state Department of Transportation to include safety upgrades. Full Story: The Construction Broadsheet
---------------------------------------------------
Mark Smith
Advocate
California Builders Alliance
5370 Elvas Avenue ǀ Sacramento, CA 95819
Cell: 916.335.5072
Email: mark.smith@calbuilders.org
Email: mark@smithpolicygroup.com
