Reggie Polk of Polk & Associates Construction and Paul Lawson from Turner Construction are making the Middle Tennessee State University School of Concrete and Construction Management proud as they get to work on Tennessee Titans' new $2.1 billion Nissan Stadium. "Our goal (as a college) is to bring people into executive positions within industry. Paul and Reggie are examples of that," said Greg Van Patten, Dean of Basic & Applied Sciences at MTSU.

McCarthy has broken ground on a $285 million, 424,000-square-foot student housing project for students at the University of California, Riverside and Riverside Community College District. The project received funding through the State Higher Education Student Housing Grant Program, which aims to provide students from diverse backgrounds with access to safe, affordable housing.

Balfour Beatty kicked off construction last month on the Universal Kids Resort theme park in Frisco, Texas. Universal Destinations & Experiences is expected to invest at least $550 million to build the attraction and associated amenities, creating about 2,500 construction jobs.

Netherlands-based firm ASM International, which produces wafers and films for the semiconductor industry, will spend $300 million on a LEED-certified headquarters in Scottsdale, Ariz., is expected to take three years to build. "The investment in our new facility in Scottsdale will substantially expand our research and development activities, further strengthening Arizona as a hub for top-notch semiconductor innovation," said CEO Benjamin Loh.

A $90 million effort to refresh the east side of the Air Force Academy's Falcon Stadium has topped out. Next up is the interior phase, which will add 1,200 enclosed seats as well as improved restrooms, hospitality decks and various amenities, with the goal of finishing in time for the next football season.

After more than two years of construction, an early January opening is scheduled for the 16-mile West Davis Corridor project in Salt Lake City. The SR-177 project is one of the largest ever for the Utah Department of Transportation and will be finished ahead of schedule.

Tampa, Fla., City Council approval has cleared the way for the city's General Hospital to add a new $550 million pavilion for surgery, neuroscience and transplants. Construction is to begin in the new year and take about three years, adding 565,000 square feet over 13 floors.

Commercial and institutional components were both down 1% in October, pulling down the Dodge Momentum Index by 1% for November to a reading of 179.2, according to Dodge Construction Network. All commercial segments fell with the exception of data centers, and the institutional category was weighed down by lower education planning, more than offsetting improvement in healthcare and public projects.

Jobs in the construction industry continued their eight-month uptrend in November, but with only a modest increase of 2,000, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Contractors report ongoing difficulties in attracting workers with relevant skills.

The issue of whether and when contractors can be paid comes with a myriad of facets. Tampa, Fla., attorney Quinn Murphy draws on his experience representing contractors, subcontractors and others to address some representative issues in a Q&A.

Drivers are reducing their speeds in work zones in New York state, suggesting the state's Automated Work Zone Speed Monitoring Pilot Program is working, according to Associated General Contractors of New York State President Mike Elmendorf. However, more progress is needed, Elmendorf says, as "far too many of the men and women who were out there working for the public's benefit in work zones who lost their lives, lost it because of excessive speed in work zones."

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