Witnesses paint complicated picture in Canadian garage collapse inquiry

A provincial investigation into the collapse of a garage into a shopping mall beneath it in Elliot Lake, Ontario, last year has brought out several curious aspects of the history.

By Ron Gallagher • May 21, 2013

Think about what records you'll wish you had to back a claim, then keep them

In additional to daily records, files documenting memos, meetings and other activity can bolster the case of a contractor who has a claim for added expenses.

By Ron Gallagher • May 21, 2013

Explore the Trendline➔

Preconstruction

Careful collaboration before shovels hit dirt is key to a successful project, experts say.

By Construction Dive staff

Women build careers through construction's male-dominated terrain

Female executives shared some of what they have learned with up-and-coming construction women at a conference in New York.

By Ron Gallagher • May 20, 2013

New remote control software may bring robots to construction sites

The platform from DreamHammer Inc. promises to be an across-the-board operating system for remotely controlled vehicles, with developers creating applications that run on it.

By Ron Gallagher • May 20, 2013

Construction jobs slip in 32 states

The new reflects the uneven nature of the recovery in the construction industry.

By Ron Gallagher • May 17, 2013

Geopiers create solid foundations in loose soil

Geopiers use crushed rock to create a base for conventional foundations.

By Ron Gallagher • May 17, 2013

Architects can replace windows with 'animated apertures'

B+U Architecture of Los Angeles has gotten as far as the concept phase with openings that combine windows, balconies and plazas in three-dimensional fiberglass opening that can shift shapes.

By Ron Gallagher • May 17, 2013

Companies look at prepaid cards to control employees' spending

Companies can cut their risk of employees' overspending or misspending if they use prepaid credit cards instead of ones that draw on the company's credit.

By Ron Gallagher • May 16, 2013

Gilbane names Chicago exec to head for New York, Midwest units

Michael Bohn, who has been with Gilbane Inc. since 1985 and is regional manager in Chicago, will become executive vice president of the two regions for the Providence, R.I.-based company.

By Ron Gallagher • May 16, 2013

How do you rebuild a crane 1,100 feet up? Very carefully

A crane broken by Superstorm Sandy's howling winds in New York City last October and seen around the world is back in business after a painstaking replacement of its 150-foot boom.

By Ron Gallagher • May 16, 2013

Software promises 3-D modeling, calculations for collapse risks

The University of Sheffield has new software that will let engineers do three-dimensional assessments of structures and foundations and calculate margins of safety.

By Ron Gallagher • May 16, 2013

Researchers eye concrete towers as ideal wind turbines

Steel towers for turbines stick at 80 meters as their usable height limit, but there is better wind higher up, and engineers are looking at how concrete can fill the bill.

By Ron Gallagher • May 15, 2013

Steady national materials prices may obscure volatility for contractors

The wide calculation of prices for construction materials taken together looks pretty steady, but price volatility is rising because of global economic conditions.

By Ron Gallagher • May 15, 2013

Veteran Affairs, not contractors, to blame for construction problems, says GAO

Slow response to change orders and inexperienced staff are among the problems the Government Accountability Office said the Department of Veterans Affairs suffers from.

By Ron Gallagher • May 15, 2013

Steel saddles to fix Bay Bridge's busted bolts problem

The specially fabricated devices will fix the problem of long, thin embedded bolts contaminated with hydrogen, which broke during concrete post-tensioning.

By Ron Gallagher • May 15, 2013

The 10 best—and worst—states for construction jobs

A 12-month comparison found the 10 largest increases and 10 steepest declines in construction employment between March 2012 and March 2013.

By Ron Gallagher • May 14, 2013

Boring machine completes twin tunnels from Port Miami to nearby highways

A tunnel boring machine called Harriet returned to where it had begun working in November 2011, and the Port Miami project now has twin tunnels to be readied for trucks.

By Ron Gallagher • May 14, 2013

New design shows wind turbines don't need to be an eyesore

A design to capture wind energy without whirling blades is an attention-getter.

By Ron Gallagher • May 14, 2013

Propane proponents tout tax credits for energy efficient buildings

Federal credits for energy efficiency construction and improvements cover building and installations in 2012 and through this year.

By Ron Gallagher • May 13, 2013

Suit accusing Chicago Bridge & Iron of manipulating health records will go to trial

A judge found that there are sufficient grounds for a trial on claims that CB&I had a plan to make its safety record look good to win business.

By Ron Gallagher • May 13, 2013

Autralian company creates one-size-fits-all residential building blocks

Elenberg Fraser and Unitised Building say their Klik system of modular units can be used to create anything from a high-rise to a single-family home.

By Ron Gallagher • May 13, 2013

EPA plays hard ball with lead paint rule violators

The agency says it is fining 17 contractors for what it says were violations of the Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting (LRRP) rules.

By Ron Gallagher • May 13, 2013

Inspector general slams Transportation Dept.'s Disadvantaged Business Enterprise program

The report charges that the Department of Transportation "does not provide effective program management" for disadvantaged business enterprises.

By Ron Gallagher • May 13, 2013

California to spend $878 million on road projects

More than half of the funds for work in the Golden State will come from a bond issue that voters approved in 2006.

By Ron Gallagher • May 12, 2013

Traylor Bros. CEO dies at 73

Traylor, who took over the Evansville, Ind. tunneling firm his father founded, passed away May 9.

By Ron Gallagher • May 10, 2013