Top Story

• States running short on funding for transportation projects
  Falling revenues and budget cuts are causing states from Texas to Maryland to rethink funding sources for road and transportation construction. For instance, South Carolina needs to generate about $30 billion in revenues over the next two decades to fund bridges, roads and mass transit. By 2015, Texas' $10 billion annual transportation budget will cover only road maintenance -- not expansion or construction of needed new roads. Virginia is looking to raise $500 million a year in new revenue to devote to reducing traffic congestion. The Augusta Chronicle (Ga.)/The Associated Press (12/8), The Dallas Morning News (free content) (12/9), The Gazette (Gaithersburg, Md.) (12/7), CivSourceOnline.com (12/7)     

Infrastructure & Project Focus

• State Dept. decision on Keystone XL may come soon, official says
  The State Department is expected to give its preliminary decision on TransCanada's Keystone XL pipeline "in the near future," a department official said. This week, Nebraskans expressed mixed views on the company's proposed route for the pipeline that steers clear of the environmentally sensitive Sand Hills region in Nebraska. Keystone XL supporters have said that the project would help spur economic growth and strengthen U.S. energy security. United Press International (12/6)     

• Panel to identify transit options for N.Y.'s Tappan Zee Bridge
  A 28-member task force will work to identify transit options for the new Tappan Zee Bridge over the Hudson River north of New York City. "The first step is replacing the Tappan Zee, which has no transit capacity, with a new bridge that is ready to handle mass transit right away as a foundation. At the same time that we are building this new bridge, the mass transit task force will be working on finding the best transit options for local communities," said Howard Milstein, chairman of the New York State Thruway Authority Board. Patch.com/Pearl River, N.Y. (12/7)     

• Private funding pitched for Ohio River's $2.4B Brent Spence Bridge
  The Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce wants lawmakers to consider legislation that would allow private funding for the planned $2.4 billion Brent Spence Bridge across the Ohio River between Kentucky and Ohio. However, many lawmakers say they need assurances that tolls wouldn't be imposed before they could support the proposal. Meanwhile, chamber officials say legislation doesn’t make tolls a certainty. Other options such as a gas tax hike and vehicle registration fees could help pay investors. Cincinnati.com (12/7)     

• Proposed Atlanta Falcons stadium could cost up to $1.2B
  The Atlanta Falcons and the Georgia World Congress Center Authority will meet today to decide on a nonbinding term sheet that outlines what the downtown multipurpose stadium for the Falcons would look like, who would owe what and what will be included and omitted. The stadium itself could cost between $948 million and $1.032 billion, while road improvements near the site could raise the price tag to $1.2 billion. WSB-TV (Atlanta) (12/10), The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (12/8)     

• $975M Minnesota Vikings stadium to break ground next fall
  The Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority has announced that groundbreaking for the $975 million Vikings stadium is set for next October. The authority has issued requests for proposals and plans to reveal the short list of bidders and eventually a finalist by Jan. 25. Star Tribune (Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn.) (12/7), Minnesota Public Radio (12/7)     

• Other News

• Widening 10 Freeway in Calif. could cost more than $1B
  The Huffington Post (12/9)     

Hot Topics

Top five news stories selected by AGC SmartBrief readers in the past week.

• Harmon tower litigation becomes 2 distinct cases (VegasInc.com (Las Vegas))

• 3 design options for new Tappan Zee Bridge unveiled (Bloomberg)

• $4.5B in projects to transform Seattle's waterfront (The New York Times (tiered subscription model))

• 4 workers injured as concrete slab collapses at Fla. dorm project (Central Florida News 13 (Orlando, Fla.))

• Las Vegas hotel casino to undergo $185M renovation (Las Vegas Review-Journal)

• Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers.

Economic Update

• Economist: Rise in construction spending shows industry recovering
  Construction spending was up 9.6% from year-ago levels in October, based on an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America. "Widespread gains in spending in October, along with hefty upward revisions to estimates for the previous two months, show that construction has finally come out of its long slump," said Ken Simonson, AGC's chief economist. Denver is one example of a city seeing a building boom. The Orange County Register (Santa Ana, Calif.) (12/9), KDVR-TV (Denver) (12/7)     

Innovation & Green Building

• Sustainable building goes far beyond energy efficiency
  Green building is fine, but sustainable building is better. That's the consensus of some who saw how poorly many buildings fared in recent natural disasters. "The new green is about protection from the dangers around us -- and ahead of us," writes Chris Sullivan. "The underlying message offers freedom from the blunders of big utilities, government agencies and corporate builders, whose time horizon only extends to their quarterly profit report." SmartPlanet.com/The Take blog (12/5)     

Policy Watch

• Obama, Boehner discuss "fiscal cliff" at private meeting
  President Barack Obama met behind closed doors with House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, to discuss a possible deal to avoid the impending "fiscal cliff." Spokesmen declined to give any details of the meeting. Economists have warned that if the fiscal cliff is not averted, the economy could go into a sharp contraction, triggering a new recession. Los Angeles Times (tiered subscription model)/Politics Now blog (12/9), The New York Times (tiered subscription model)/The Caucus blog (12/9), CNN (12/10)     

Association News

• AGC webinar -- The Davis-Bacon and Related Acts: How to Comply with Federal Prevailing Wage Laws
  Two-part webinar -- Dec. 11 & 13
  Participants in this webinar will learn how to avoid the most common problems plaguing construction contractors in compliance with the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts.  Topics covered will include ensuring compliance with flow-down requirements, how to make the conformance process work for you, the right way to complete certified payroll records, dealing with off-site operations, the treatment of truck drivers, and ascertaining the proper classification of your employees. Learn more.     

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SmartQuote

Alas for those that never sing, But die with all their music in them." --Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr., American physician, writer and poet