Most Clicked AGC SmartBrief Stories
1. Investigation launched in deadly Houston crane collapse
AGC SmartBrief | Jul 21, 2008
A federal investigation has been launched to determine the cause of the collapse of a 30-story-tall crane at a Houston oil refinery on Friday. The collapse killed four workers and injured seven others, when the crane, one of the nation's largest mobile models, collapsed during maintenance. Boston Globe, The (07/20)
2. Big Dig plunged Massachusetts into sea of red ink
AGC SmartBrief | Jul 18, 2008
Massachusetts continues to struggle under a massive burden of debt stemming from the state's Big Dig project, the costs and interest of which have escalated to $22 billion. Now facing an annual expense of at least $600 million over several years to pay it off, the state has sidelined necessary road maintenance and construction projects and is borrowing money to pay nearly 80% of its highway workers. "The Big Dig saddled us with costs we can't afford," said Secretary of Transportation Bernard Cohen. "We are grappling with that legacy now. There are no easy answers." Boston Globe, The (07/17)
3. Commercial construction booms in Pittsburgh area
AGC SmartBrief | Jul 21, 2008
With several $100 million-plus projects in the works, Western Pennsylvania is enjoying a boom in its nonresidential construction market. Nonresidential building is expected to exceed $3 billion this year, with major projects including the Majestic Star casino and the Uptown arena for the Pittsburgh Penguins hockey team. Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (07/20)
4. Colorado military base expansion sparks construction boom
AGC SmartBrief | Jul 22, 2008
Construction to expand the Fort Carson Army base in Colorado Springs, Colo., is keeping the Pikes Peak region busy while the housing market sags. The base is preparing for the arrival of thousands of additional soldiers in 2009, and nearly every construction company in the region is likely working on the project, according to a planner. Gazette (Colorado Springs, Colo.), The (07/20)
5. Stadiums' true benefit to communities questioned
AGC SmartBrief | Jul 18, 2008
Sports stadium promoters may tout the economic benefits a stadium can bring to a neighborhood or city, but there is plenty of data indicating that publicly financed stadiums are a waste of taxpayer money. Much of the employment created by the stadiums is low-wage concession work, and only a small part of the tax base truly benefits from a stadium. Wall Street Journal, The (subscription required) (07/17)
6. Tropical Storm Dolly on track to become Hurricane Dolly
AGC SmartBrief | Jul 21, 2008
Tropical Storm Dolly is likely to make its way back over the Gulf of Mexico and gain enough strength to become a hurricane by Tuesday, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami. The storm wreaked havoc on Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula with 50 mph winds. Bloomberg (07/21)
7. Recycling rain water: Green or greedy?
AGC SmartBrief | Jul 21, 2008
Green building standards often emphasize technologies for collecting and recycling storm water. While that can reduce utility bills and help prevent polluted runoff from spilling into waterways, there is also a downside: Collecting too much water could be against the law. In Washington state, for instance, rainwater belongs to the state, and officials worry that large-scale recycling projects could dry up water supplies downstream and harm endangered fish species. Seattle Post-Intelligencer (07/21)
8. Final design for $200M Utah mixed-use project unveiled
AGC SmartBrief | Jul 16, 2008
The final design for a $200 million-plus mixed-use development near a light rail station in Farmington, Utah, was to be unveiled to officials on Tuesday. The nearly 100-acre Station Park development will feature office space, a hotel, retail shops, a 15-screen movie theater, a 2-acre park and performance pavilion. Salt Lake Tribune (Utah), The (07/15)
9. New York exploring 30-story "vertical farms"
AGC SmartBrief | Jul 16, 2008
If Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer has his way, a new kind of skyscraper will one day join the New York skyline -- one that produces enough food to feed 50,000 people. Within several months, Stringer plans to forward to the mayor's office a feasibility study for a vertical farm, a concept pioneered by Dickson Despommier, a professor at Columbia University. Despommier says NASA research on hydroponic vegetables proves a 30-story tower could produce food using solar, wind and wastewater for power. New York Times, The (07/15)
10. Copper prices drop amid concerns of decreased China demand
AGC SmartBrief | Jul 16, 2008
Copper prices have been falling this week amid concerns of slowing demand from China and increased pressure to sell due to dropping oil prices. Dropping oil prices should help metals prices because it allows some to spend on other things such as consumer durables, but it also lowers the cost of production, causing prices to fall, an expert said. Globe and Mail (Toronto), The (07/15)
Sign up for AGC SmartBrief
Latest Blog Postsview more
Union of the states
Grist
Come together, right now, over public subsidy
Grist
Knocking down the energy jobs myth
Grist
Companies in the news
- Assa Abloy Door Group Inc.
- Bouygues
- Callanan Industries Inc.
- Earth Tech Inc.
- Jacobs Engineering Group Inc
- KBS
- Parsons
- Realty Capital