3,400-ton bridge + dish soap = smooth move

Crews moved aside the busiest two-lane bridge in Oregon in 14 hours so it can be a detour while a new span is built.

By Ron Gallagher • Jan. 24, 2013

Consultant says building green is fading as differentiator in the market

Jerry Udelson, head of a green-building consulting company, says net-zero buildings will become common because the market is coming to expect them.

By Ron Gallagher • Jan. 23, 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 starts increase in December

The total of all construction starts in 2012 was up 6%, a much steeper climb than was seen in 2010 or 2011.

By Ron Gallagher • Jan. 23, 2013

Green Building Council tallies the LEED leaders for 2012

The USGBC calculates how many square feet per capita were LEED certified in the states and the District of Columbia.

By Ron Gallagher • Jan. 23, 2013

Investigators seek cause of London chopper crash, crane taken down

Much of the tower crane next to the 180-meter luxury residential building under construction was undamaged by the helicopter that collided with it Jan. 16 in heavy fog.

By Ron Gallagher • Jan. 23, 2013

Construction Confidence Index slipped in 2012's second half

Compiling data for the last six months of last year showed contractors were having some doubts about continued recovery.

By Ron Gallagher • Jan. 22, 2013

Tall buildings, information systems will be topics at ASHRAE 2014 conference

The topics are among ones on which the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers is inviting papers.

By Ron Gallagher • Jan. 22, 2013

Study: Jute fiber as cement reinforcement delays hardening during transport

Chemists have discovered that jute, used as a reinforcing fiber in concrete and mortar, also slows the materials' hardening, an advantage in long-distance transport.

By Ron Gallagher • Jan. 22, 2013

Oregon experiments with shift from gas tax to mileage fee for road-users

An Oregon pilot project addresses issues in a switch from taxing gasoline to measuring miles to fund highway construction and maintenance.

By Ron Gallagher • Jan. 21, 2013

Volvo is moving loader-backhoe manufacturing to Brazil from Mexico

The machines now are being made at a Volvo Bus factory in Mexico, but Volvo Construction Equipment sees a better deal in Brazil.

By Ron Gallagher • Jan. 21, 2013

Contractors see a real recovery and are starting to raise headcounts again

Contractors are adding people as business begins to rise on the recovery wave, and they believe it may be real.

By Ron Gallagher • Jan. 18, 2013

What kind of UK HQ will $1 billion buy Google?

The company has reportedly chosen the Kings Cross Central development in London for its massive new office complex.

By Brian Warmoth • Jan. 18, 2013

Rental companies made almost half of U.S. equipment purchases last year

Contractors' decision to rent rather than buy equipment in uncertain times made rental companies the buyers for almost half of new equipment last year.

By Ron Gallagher • Jan. 17, 2013

Radiant heating system can keep pavements clear midst winter's mean weather

Radiant heating elements for use under pavers, concrete or asphalt might be the ticket in areas where unusual weather has not banished winter.

By Ron Gallagher • Jan. 17, 2013

Housing starts end 2012 at highest rate in 4½ years

Combined single-family and multifamily starts hit a pace of 954,000 units in December, a rate unseen since June 2008.

By Ron Gallagher • Jan. 17, 2013

Project targets Pittsburgh's last big former industrial site

The 178 acres that once were LTV Steel along the Monongahela River are being proposed for a tax-increment financing deal to fund a $1 billion redevelopment.

By Ron Gallagher • Jan. 16, 2013

Demand is easing a bit, but apartment construction growth races on

At a conference on multifamily building, market-watchers said investment is still focused on apartment development.

By Ron Gallagher • Jan. 16, 2013

Israeli firm's U.S. subsidiary will design, run Calif, desalinization plant

The largest desalinization plant in the western hemisphere will be built by IDE Technologies Ltd.

By Ron Gallagher • Jan. 16, 2013

Helicopter clips construction crane in London, crashes to street below

The helicopter, diverted from its intended course by bad weather, hit the crane being used to build one of Europe's highest residential structures.

By Ron Gallagher • Jan. 16, 2013

ANSI amends A10.9 standard for concrete and masonry work

The changes focus on reinforcing steel and post-tensioning operations to enhance safety.

By Ron Gallagher • Jan. 16, 2013

Pentagon sharpens spending ax to be ready if Congress cannot agree on budget plan

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has a public plan ready, and construction spending will take a hit.

By Ron Gallagher • Jan. 16, 2013

Domino effect of project problems turns clients from New England contractor

Baybutt Construction Co. has been declared to be in default by two public clients, and one state official speculated it is the result of trying hard to survive the recession on slim margins.

By Ron Gallagher • Jan. 15, 2013

Tiny openings can make sound-barriers of construction materials

In Germany, researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics have devised a way to use micro perforations in a range of materials to capture and deaden sound.

By Ron Gallagher • Jan. 15, 2013

History lesson: Recoveries can be worse than recessions for contractors

The failure rate for construction businesses is three times worse during recoveries than during downturns over the last 40 years.

By Ron Gallagher • Jan. 15, 2013

Supreme Court ruling in L.A. case may affect water-diversion projects nationally

The high court held 9-0 that the L.A. County Flood Control District did not have to get a discharge permit for water that came out of a waterway, went through a manmade structure and back into the same waterway.

By Ron Gallagher • Jan. 15, 2013