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Construction > Top Stories from ENR.com

Engineering News-Record provides the business and technical news needed by anyone who makes a living in or from the construction industry. We cover major projects, technological achievements, business conditions, markets, finance, costs, legislation, government, management, labor, construction methods, equipment and materials. We give readers the weekly news and analysis they need to make decisions in their work, covering all sectors of the industry from buildings to highways to hazardous waste cleanups. We highlight significant events worldwide. Good ideas don't stop at political boundaries nor does the business of construction.

1.) Obama Names Picks for DOT, Labor Top Posts

2.) Construction Starts Fall Further, Decline To Continue Into 2009

3.) Parsons-Fluor Team Protests Loss Of $3-Billion Energy Dept. Award

4.) Atlanta Bridge Collapses While Under Construction

5.) Bid Protest Pushes DOE Review Of Hanford Site Cleanup Award

6.) Bush?s Clean-Air Program For Powerplants Reinstated

7.) Veteran Enr Ad Executive John Hernan Dies

8.) Suspense And Pressure Mark Six-Month Bridge-Cable Test

9.) Contractor Safety Managers Indicted For Ground Zero Fire

10.) State Settles With Powers Fasteners

11.) Suburban Washington Water Mains Found To Be At Risk

12.) Accident On High-Profile Job Draws Forthright Response

13.) TVA Fly-Ash Spill Raises Questions On Storage

14.) With Everglades Tract Sale Approved, Water District Looks to Next Step

15.) Obama Surprises Industry Leaders With Pick of LaHood to Head DOT

16.) Obama's Interior Dept. Choice Satisfies Industry, Greens

17.) Environmental Groups Voice Praise For Obama's New Cabinet Post Picks

18.) Obama Names Environmental, Energy Team

19.) Narrower Endangered-Species Rule Approved

20.) Congress Approves Relief for Multi-Employer Plans

21.) Obama Picks NYC Housing Chief To Lead HUD

22.) Unemployment Doubles Since 2007, Hitting 12.7%

23.) Foster Wheeler Moves Again

24.) High Court Declines Firms? Appeal On Hanford-Site Radiation Claims

25.) New Girder-Bracing System Puts Boh Bros. Back to Form Work

26.) Officials Seek Industry Proposals For Northeast and Other Lines

27.) California Adopts Comprehensive Plan To Reduce Emissions

28.) Suppliers Scramble To Build Uranium-Enrichment Plants

29.) Citycenter Contractor Roles Change With Vegas Downturn

30.) U.S. Sugar Looks At Counteroffer Aimed At Saving The Everglades

31.) Bay Area Contractors: California Needs To Catch Up

32.) Seattle Narrows Alaska Way Viaduct Design Options To Two

33.) Experts Crafting Guideline For Critical Infrastructure

34.) Texas May Win Bid For Oklahoma Water

35.) Questions Swirl On Stimulus Plan

36.) Private Foundation Funds Work To Improve Building Quality

37.) Senate, House Clear Pension Relief Covering Multi-Employer Plans

38.) In Seattle, Boulevard or Elevated Highway To Replace Alaskan Way Viaduct

39.) Utah, Florida Lead List For Highway Stimulus Plans

40.) EPA, Corps Revise Guidance on Wetlands

41.) DOE, State Dept. Join in Energy-Saving Effort

42.) URS Washington Back at DOE Site With Big Savannah River Contract

43.) After Protest, Bank of America Offers Loans to Window Maker

44.) Illinois Governor Arrested Under Federal Conspiracy Charges

45.) Caterpillar Settles Trade Lawsuit Over Used Excavator Imports

46.) Selling Small Wind Is One Part Science, Two Parts Spin

47.) Operators Are Hooked On Crane Camera

48.) Safety Codes Lack Standards For Critical Crane Repairs

49.) Contractor?s Defibrillator Deployment Recharges Retention Efforts

50.) Lingering Auburn Project Dies

51.) 200,000 Acres In West To Be Opened For Power Developers

52.) Key Piece Of Miami Airport Intermodal Program Finally Moves

53.) FTA Approves Commitment For Northern Virginia Rail Line

54.) No Federal Disbarment For Bechtel/PB

55.) 'Ready to Go' May Be The Stimulus Ticket

56.) Funding Uncertainty Puts Chill On Future Transportation Projects

57.) Firms Optimistic about Global Telecommunications Outlook

58.) Once-Booming Petroleum Market Falters Under Economic Uncertainty

59.) Power Holds Steady For Now, But Some Expect a Slowdown

60.) Manufacturing Market Hits Slump as Worldwide Financial Crisis Deepens

61.) Demand in Middle East and Asia Drives Market for Building Projects

62.) Global Environmental Market Holds Steady Despite Economic Downturn

63.) Top International Contractors and Design Firms: Going From Feast to Famine

64.) Europe's Height-Record Buster Is on Russia's Cutting Edge

65.) High-Rise Fever Hits Moscow

66.) 'Ready to Go' Highway Projects' Total Triples, to $64 Billion

67.) Costa Rican Contractor Low Bidder For Panama Canal Dry Excavation

68.) FTA Approves First-Phase Funds for Virginia Rail Project

69.) Construction Drops in October As Recession Grabs Hold

70.) Underground Entry to Capitol Finally Opens

71.) Washington State Sues DOE To Expedite Hanford Cleanup

72.) Attorneys at Shuttered ThelenReid Find New Homes at Other Firms

73.) Feds Nail Birmingham Mayor For Bribes Over Sewer Bonds

74.) Supreme Court: Oral Arguments Heard in Powerplant Case

75.) States Seek $136 Billion for Public Works

76.) FRA Chief Named Amtrak?s President, CEO

77.) HUD Provides $2 Billion for Rebuilding

78.) Officials Postpone Setting Milestones For Chesapeake Cleanup

79.) Detroit?s $1.9-Billion Upgrade Is Aimed At Oil-Sands Crude

80.) Factory Workers Build Plants, Then Ship Them To Jobsites

81.) Consistent Regulation Seen As Key To New Construction

82.) Risk-Based Strategy Changes Focus Of Flood Prevention

83.) Green Aid For Federal Buildings

84.) New Surge-Barrier Project Launched

85.) Voters Approve Billions For Systems, But It?s Still No Gravy Train

86.) States Seek $136B for Infrastructure In New Economic Stimulus Package

87.) Washington State Sues FedsTo Push Nuke Site Cleanup

88.) Bush Names Texas Engineer to Post As International Water Commissioner

89.) Federal Railroad Administrator Picked as Amtrak's CEO

90.) OSHA Chief Leaves To Join Atlanta Law Firm

91.) Waxman To Replace Dingell as Chair of Key Panel

92.) Stormwater: EPA Plan Would Require Pollution Controls

93.) Obama Promotes Stimulus, Infrastructure Aid

94.) Credit Crunches Russian Tower

95.) Hetch Hetchy Progresses

96.) U.S. Scrutiny of Lender?s Funding Of Possible Harmful Projects Is Lax

97.) URS-Led Team Assumes Control Of U.K.?s Sellafield Nuclear Site

98.) Construction Managers Arrested Over Deadly China Hoist Accident

99.) Autodesk Expands Outreach To Design Centers in China

100.) Three Runways Open, But New Streamlined Rules Stall

101.) Quake-Engineering Expert Housner Dies

102.) Coastal Management Must Deal With Changing Climate

103.) Feds Complete WTC Study

104.) Accreditation Of Greenbuilding Ratings Is Overhauled

105.) Inside Illinois' Funding Fight, Party Politics Trump Potholes

106.) Trust Fund's 2008Revenue Falls

107.) Scores Of State Road Projects Are In Limbo

108.) Subcontractors Take Their Time Adoption Follows Uneven Paths

109.) Constructors Grapple With Resistance to Change in Field

110.) Survey of Structural Engineers Says One-Third Are Using BIM

111.) Lawyers Struggle with Contract Terms

112.) Building Information Modeling Snags Don?t Dampen Spirits

113.) Strong Owner Leadership Can Optimize Project Collaboration

114.) Forum Tackles Teamwork Issues

115.) Virtual Collaborative Charrettes Give Glimpse of Future

116.) Building Team Views Technological Tools as Best Chance For Change

117.) Airport Experts Say LEED Isn't Enough for Airports

118.) Yearly Highway Revenue Dropped 9%, Adding to Road Finance Worries

119.) China Subway Collapse Kills Five and Halts Construction

120.) DOE Bomb-Factory Cleanup Costs May Push $266 Billion, Study Says

121.) Contractor To Pay Feds $900,000 In Road Inflated-Billing Case

122.) Updated 2009 LEED Rating System To Include Climate-Change Focus

123.) Market Slowdown in September Expected To Continue Into 2009

124.) Contractors Expand Oversight Over Hoisting, Rigging Crews

125.) Growing Owners Group Listens To Its Next Generation

126.) Boston Slurry Wall Cuts Off Groundwater and Vibration

127.) Seepage Stopped by Prompt Action, Overwhelming Force

128.) Hazard-Mitigation Work Turns Niche Into Enterprise

129.) Don't Leave It at LEED, Say Aviation Project Leaders

130.) Ohio Ponders Whether To Fix or Replace Cleveland Bridge

131.) NTSB Cites Gussets and Loads in Collapse

132.) NTSB Calls For Design Quality Upgrade In Citing Bridge Collapse Causes

133.) Needs Remain But Queasy Credit Market Limits Funding Options

134.) Good Long-Term Markets Prospects Are Clouded by Short-Term Pains

135.) Economic Uncertainty Is Slowing The Flow of All-But-the-Best Projects

136.) Credit Meltdown Has Educators Scrambling For Project Financing

137.) Sliding Economy Hammers State Transportation Projects

138.) Ups and Downs in the Airline Industry Are Taking a Toll on New Projects

139.) The Top Owners 2008

140.) Huge Cleanup at Bomb-Making Megasite Is The New Atomic Fallout

141.) Radiation Threat Still Permeates Chernobyl's Entombment

142.) NTSB Blames Minn. Bridge Collapse On Gusset Plate Design Error

143.) U.S.-Mexico Wastewater Project Awarded to Arizona Firm

144.) All Sectors Go Negative Next Year As A Real Recession Rattles Markets

145.) Unions Look Forward to Obama’s Promised Project Agreement Order

146.) Senate: Chairmen Are Changing at Major Committees

147.) Industry Awaiting New Team, Stimulus Plan

148.) Fall Fashion Is Highly Visible Under New Work-Zone Rule

149.) As Yucca Job Switches Managers, Project Faces Obama's Opposition

150.) Big Brazilian Firm Under Fire In Ecuador And Venezuela

151.) Green-Site Rating Coming By 2012

152.) Waterways Investment Is Pushed For Obama's List

153.) A New Look At Risk Revives An Old California Plan

154.) Rare Fungus Shows Promise To Fuel Mushrooming Diesels

155.) Reconstruction of Grand Canyon Rim Road Completed Early

156.) Coordinated Software for Infrastructure Projects Released

157.) China Launches Massive Economic Stimulus Program

158.) U.S.-Korea Team Picked To Build First Private Base Houses Abroad

159.) Russian Spire Design Continues Despite Project-Finance Woes

160.) Carpet-Tile Manufacturer?s Makeover: Going Green, Step by Step

161.) From North to South, New Pipe Delivers Power to Argentina

162.) Clean Air: EPA Issues Follow-up to 2007 Refineries Rule

163.) Industry, Government Officials Push Stimulus

164.) I-10 Bridge Work Resumes After 10 Workers Fall

165.) Boh Bros. Resumes Work Following Fatal Bridge Accident

166.) Lake Pontchartrain Bridge Work Halted Following Fatal Accident

167.) 2008 Elections: Democrats Face Tough Road Ahead

168.) Alaska Contractor Is Central To Sen. Stevens' Conviction

169.) Firms on Miami Airport Job Sue Bonding Companies

170.) 'Every Day Is Trash Day' for Galveston's Cleanup Team

171.) Deadly Crane and Hoist Crashes Rock Developing World

172.) Contractor Suit Claiming Extortion By Utility Employees Set for Trial

173.) Idaho Pushes Electronic Permits

174.) URS-Shaw-Areva Win Big Role At DOE?s Yucca Mountain Site

175.) Green Renovation Is Virtual Fishbowl

176.) Distance Learning Tools Link Project-Management Students

177.) FHWA Deputy Takes OMB Position

178.) Roads: DOT Releases $689 Million in Post-Disaster Funds

179.) Senate: Boxer Outlines Priorities for EPW Committee

180.) 'No Match' Immigration Rule Is Revised

181.) DOT Gives States $679 Million To Repair Storm-Damaged Roads

182.) Lake Pontchartrain Bridge Work Halted Following Fatal Accident

183.) Industry?s Injury Rate Down

184.) More Information But Less Clarity as Meeting Tape Plays

185.) Army Generates Portable Field Power From Garbage

186.) Indictment Filed Against New York?s Biggest Concrete Testing Laboratory

187.) Industry, Government Officials Push for Public-Works Stimulus

188.) Commercial Building Sector Brings Engineers Most Profit

189.) Economy's Woes Are Chief Concern Among CEOs, According To New Survey

190.) This Year?s Bad News Gets Worse In 2009

191.) $1.8-Billion Offshore Port To Supply Texas Refinery Growth

192.) Workers Ready to Jack the Top of the World?s Tallest Building Under Construction in Dubai

193.) Renovation of Houston?s Freeway Completed Five Months Early

194.) Survey Projects Contraction in Local Government IT Budgets

195.) Panama Canal Authority Pushes Back Deadline for Bids on Work

196.) Abu Dhabi Building Will Lean More Than Leaning Tower of Pisa

197.) Crane Operators: Exam Options Are Expanding Fast

198.) Developing Nations Struggle To Keep Crane Workers Safe

199.) The Ultimate Construction Video Game

200.) Crane Safety: Managers Need Training, Too

201.) In One Week, Crane Operators Receive A License to Learn

202.) Mothballing Large Projects Is Really No Small Feat

203.) Giant 'Hiccup' Delays U.S. Green Building Standard

204.) Chinese Official Receives Death Sentence for Corruption on Construction Jobs

205.) Corps Awards $341-million Fix for High-Risk Dam in Kentucky

206.) Science Report Calls for Change in Federal Stormwater Rules

207.) EPA Passes Toughest Standard for Lead Emissions in an Era

208.) Construction Unemployment Soars As Housing Plunges

209.) Configuration Management Hits Rutgers Curriculum

210.) Lending Freeze Tests Skyscraper Optimism

211.) Louisiana Skips Bond Sale But Construction Coasts On

212.) Building Information Modeling Contract Documents Arrive

213.) Battered National Guard Facilities Are Design-Build Lab

214.) CH2M Hill Awarded Emirates Program

215.) Virginia Transportation Projects Face Painful Budget Cuts

216.) Industry Campaign Spending Is Shifting

217.) In Challenging Economic Times, Leadership Training Is an Edge

218.) Auburn University Students Tackle Mission: No Class Text? Write Your Own

219.) Las Vegas University Program Backers Are Betting on Construction

220.) University of Washington Construction Lab is Video-Game Nut?s Dream

221.) Illinois DOT Seeks Students For Engineering Scholarships

222.) Virginia Tech Professor Wins NSF Award for Capstone Work

223.) Lehigh University Launches Structural Engineering Master's

224.) Ontario's Mohawk College Boosts Trades Training Center

225.) Rowan U. Engineers Use Aquarium As Class Tool

226.) New York State Carpenters' Training Programs Target Students

227.) Seattle Membrane Plant Treats to Higher Levels

228.) Membrane Bioreactors Scale Up to Gain Size and Market

229.) DOD: Measure Requires Life-Cycle Cost Consideration

230.) Proposed Crane Rule Gets Mixed Reviews

231.) Panama Canal Snags $400M IDB Financing for Expansion

232.) International Water Agency Mourns Loss of Mexican, U.S. Leaders

233.) Hospital's Stormwater Pond Doubles as Heat Exchanger

234.) Utilities Stretch Projects Out In Wake of Credit Crunch

235.) Treasury Puts $250 Billion Into Banks,

236.) Early Contractor Involvement Eyed

237.) Voters Weigh Billions in Bond Issues

238.) After 30 Years, EPA Sets Tougher Airborne Lead Standard

239.) Lawsuit Possible Over Cracks At $146-Million Tampa Project

240.) Financing Is Endangered For Turkey?s Ilisu Project

241.) Saudis Unveil Plan for 1-Kilometer-Plus Tower in Jeddah

242.) DOE Former Weapons Complex Will Consolidate Under New Plan

243.) Five Global Development Banks Give Panama Canal $2.3 Billion

244.) Nine States Sue EPA Over Rules To Ease Water Transfer Scrutiny

245.) Public Transit Budgets Squeezed As Demand for Services Grows

246.) WTC Hub's Complex Design Overhauled for Constructibility

247.) World Trade Center Rebuilder Tries To Dig Out of Big 'Hole'

248.) Is Planned 1-Kilometer Tower A Stretch of the Imagination?

249.) Tetra Tech President Demoted Over Status of College Degree

250.) Work Pushes on Vulnerable Dike Around Florida?s Lake Okeechobee

251.) FutureGen Proposals Due Oct. 8 For $1.3 Billion in Federal Funds

252.) MasTec Acquires Wind-Farm Contractor Wanzek Construction

253.) Convex Design Promotes Sound Diffusion

254.) New Breach-Repair Technique Show Promising Results

255.) Indian Council Boosts Green Building Movement

256.) German Utility Trolls World for Carbon-Capture Technologies

257.) Biennial Report Finds Little Progress, Many Hindrances

258.) Public Works Erode As Debt Market Falters

259.) Feds Propose Crane Safety Rules, Operator Certification Scheduled

260.) Panama Canal Authority Lets RFP For Third Dry Excavation Contract

261.) Congress Approves Amtrak Funding, Railroad Safety Measure

262.) Deal to Privatize Midway May Pay for Chicago Projects

263.) Some Key Bills Enacted, Others Fall Short

264.) The 2008 Top 600 Specialty Contractors

265.) London's $30-Billion Cross Rail Project Mixes Delivery Systems

266.) Ten Minutes with Lauro Bravar, President of Spain’s OHL USA

267.) Sparks Fly as Native Americans Start Training To Join Future Ranks of Unionized Welders

268.) Taxes: Extensions of Renewable-Energy Incentives in Limbo

269.) Congress Clears Massive Spending Bill

270.) Aviation: House Approves Six-Month FAA Extension

271.) Water: Senate Panel Clears $36.5-billion SRF Reauthorization

272.) FHWA: Daily Repayments to State DOTs Resume

273.) Proposed Corps Principles Draw Criticism

274.) Border: Costs Rise, Year-end Target Tough To Meet

275.) Bridges: Sen. Boxer Backs Funding, Inspection Bill

276.) Highways: FHWA Rejects Plan To Toll I-80 in Pennsylvania

277.) Trust-Fund Account Rescued, for Now

278.) Pennsylvania Turnpike Lease Plan Withdrawn as Credit Market Tightens

279.) Privatization Sparks Debate

280.) O'Hare Airport Expansion Project Arrives 56 Days Ahead of Schedule

281.) House and Senate Pass Vital Six-Month FAA Extension

282.) Piece By Piece, Barrel Arches Fit Together in New Jersey

283.) FHWA Returns to Daily Highway-Fund Reimbursement

284.) English-French Rail Link Closed After Fire on Train

285.) Contractor?s Investigators Blame Design for Collapse

286.) Pressure Is Mounting to Push Forward New Federal Rules

287.) Garage Collapse Contractor Points Finger at Engineer

288.) Energy Tax Breaks in Limbo As Congress Nears Adjournment

289.) Sale to French Will Boost U.K. Nuclear Construction

290.) Fuel Facility Faces Fights for Funds, Workers and Suppliers

291.) Lawmakers Try To Revive Rescue Plan

292.) Iraqi Engineers Visit New York In Mentoring Program

293.) Trial Starts for Stevens On Charges Involving VECO

294.) Massive Spending Package Nears Final Hill Approval

295.) Engineers See Big Global Role But With Hurdles to Success

296.) Feds Circulate Draft Crane Rules

297.) Gasping Bank System Puts Credit in Doubt

298.) Army Names Temple, Dorko to Senior Corps Posts

299.) Feds Point To Rigging Failure In Deadly New York Collapse

300.) Reclamation Needs Strategic Approach for Its Many Sites

301.) ASCE's Post-Disaster Studies Need Procedural Changes

302.) Agreement Allows Construction Start on Challenged Refinery

303.) Corps Names New Chief for New Orleans Hurricane Protection Office

304.) Full Rebound From Hurricane Could Take Years, Say Officials

305.) Outfall Pipe Floated and Sunk For Washington State Plant

306.) After Ike, DOT Gives $5 Mil. to Texas, Louisiana

307.) Housing-Market Collapse Touches Firms But Some Find New Sectors

308.) New Machines Catch Waves To Generate Electricity

309.) Hot Seat in New Orleans Gets New Corps Commander

310.) Fluor Wins $1-Billion Contract For Uranium-Enrichment Plant

311.) Credit Crisis Rattles Nonbuilding And Nonresidential Markets

312.) $488-million California Academy of Sciences Opens

313.) Cat Unveils Electric Haul Trucks

314.) Washington State Supreme Court Upholds $5-Million Worker Award

315.) Utility Applies for License For Two New Texas Nuke Plants

316.) Tugs Tow $900-million LNG Plant From Spain to Italy?s Adriatic

317.) California?s San Vicente Dam To Be Raised 117 Ft

318.) Last Big Hanford Contract Awarded As New Safety Fine Is Proposed

319.) Manhattan?s New Landmark

320.) New I-35 Span Opens Just 13 Months After Fatal Collapse

321.) United Rentals Settles With SEC

322.) Extra Stairwell for High-Rises Required in 2009 Model Code

323.) Changes Likely to 2002 Fire Report

324.) China Pushes Sustainability As Urbanization Intensifies

325.) South Korea Enters Race With Start of 567-Meter Tower

326.) Caribbean Supermarket Survives Storms, Serves as Shelter