Denver residential site burns in fire visible for miles

A fire at a partially built multifamily housing building in Glendale lit up the sky and forced evacuation of neighboring apartments.

By Ron Gallagher • Dec. 15, 2013

La. trims $3.7B from I-49 project, cites lack of 'fairy godmother' funds

The state cannot look to Washington for road funding anymore, the state treasurer says, so its DOT found changes to cut the $5.1 billion plans.

By Ron Gallagher • Dec. 15, 2013

Explore the Trendline➔

Top 5 stories from Construction Dive

Construction Dive editors curate some of the industry’s top stories from this year.

By Construction Dive staff

Construction equipment purchases will decline through 2014, report says

Investment in equipment by all business is expected to rise next year, but construction equipment appears to have had its boom earlier this year.

By Ron Gallagher • Dec. 15, 2013

Construction materials prices show surprising stability

In November, the overall price of construction materials fell 0.5%, putting the year-over-year increase at 1.1%.

By Ron Gallagher • Dec. 15, 2013

A basic Marine principle makes good construction company advice

The tenet is that every Marine is a rifleman no matter what else he or she does, and it's good for everyone in the firm to keep a hand in the basics of your business.

By Ron Gallagher • Dec. 13, 2013

Report: Tornado Alley needs building codes like hurricane areas

The National Institute of Standards and Technology explored what could be done to mitigate a disaster like the EF-5 twister that hit Joplin, Mo., in 2011.

By Ron Gallagher • Dec. 12, 2013

Cracked concrete, joint leaks found in new Va. river tunnel

A second Midtown Tunnel being built next to the existing one between Norfolk and Portsmouth, Va., will need repairs before the state will accept it.

By Ron Gallagher • Dec. 12, 2013

Insurer sees continued construction growth if economy cooperates

Euler Hermes, an international insurer, expects home building to keep growing — if loan rates do not jump — as will commercial, but at a slower pace.

By Ron Gallagher • Dec. 12, 2013

Court rulings put high-speed rail funding squarely on California's plate

If the state wants its first, $30-billion piece of a passenger line to be built, it has to show a judge it has a real plan for getting all the money.

By Ron Gallagher • Dec. 12, 2013

Executives tell FMI low productivity a looming issue in nonresidential construction

Workers who maintained heavier loads during the recession may be nearing burnout.

By Ron Gallagher • Dec. 11, 2013

Minn. governor may propose $975M public construction program

Gov. Mark Dayton is due to send lawmakers a plan next month, and he says he is thinking bigger than before about a program to be financed by borrowing.

By Ron Gallagher • Dec. 11, 2013

Being a sustainable builder carries some special risks and challenges

You will be cheered for building green, but there are potential problems that conventional builders will never know.

By Ron Gallagher • Dec. 11, 2013

BIM is making headway, but data mobility has arrived

Building information modeling tends to be used by architects and large contractors, but field access to current data by almost everyone is the state of the art.

By Ron Gallagher • Dec. 11, 2013

Twin Cities developer gets go-ahead for project next to new Vikings stadium

Minneapolis told Ryan Cos. it can knock down the 90-year-old headquarters of the Star Tribune newspaper as part of plans for a five-block project.

By Ron Gallagher • Dec. 10, 2013

Volvo is buying off-road hauler operation from Terex

Volvo Construction Equipment gets Terex's Scottish factory and U.S. distribution operations, adding five rigid haulers and three articulated models to its product line.

By Ron Gallagher • Dec. 10, 2013

Scientist sees low risk to public from development on contaminated Baltimore parcel

Beatty Development Group LLC is planning to build on a site on the city's Inner Harbor where a protective cap keeps chromium in place.

By Ron Gallagher • Dec. 10, 2013

An added risk for construction workers in Oakland: Being robbed

It's hardly an epidemic, but four times in the past few weeks definitely sounds like someone is targeting the trades.

By Ron Gallagher • Dec. 10, 2013

Texas board to require background checks for architects

Thanks to a new law taking effect Jan. 1, getting an architecture license in the Lone Star State will mean turning in a nice, clean set of prints.

By Ron Gallagher • Dec. 10, 2013

N.Y. 'Scaffold Law' a point of contention between unions and contractors

The law puts the damages for a construction worker's fall all on the employer, no matter what.

By Ron Gallagher • Dec. 9, 2013

Chevrolet to rejoin mid-size truck market with 2015 Colorado

The new model will challenge Toyota and Nissan for the business of surveyors, field engineers and other construction folk who want less than a full-size pickup.

By Ron Gallagher • Dec. 9, 2013

Payroll cards could benefit employers and employees, but know the rules

Giving employees their wages in the form of debit-card-like payroll cards may be cheaper than cutting checks and can help workers who do not have bank accounts.

By Ron Gallagher • Dec. 9, 2013

Report: Reflective pavements not a help for city heat

People thought that reflective pavements were a great idea for bouncing energy back to space and cutting down the contributions roads make to urban heat.

By Ron Gallagher • Dec. 8, 2013

Construction adds 17,000 jobs in November

Labor Department figures show that 7,700 of the hires were on the nonresidential side of the industry.

By Ron Gallagher • Dec. 8, 2013

Construction the No. 2 consumer of plastic products

The construction industry is second only to packaging when it comes to the use of plastic products during production.

By Ron Gallagher • Dec. 8, 2013

Permeable pavers offer an alternative drainage system

The interlocking concrete blocks are installed over layers designed to increase groundwater infiltration, reducing costs for draining pipe and constructing detention basins.

By Ron Gallagher • Dec. 6, 2013