Multiple safety violations bring six-figure fine for framing contractor in Mass.

Twin Pines Construction Inc. got on OSHA's bad side after inspectors visited two building sites in Reading and Plymouth earlier this year.

By Ron Gallagher • Sept. 26, 2013

Chicago contractor cited for second trench-safety violation

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration said it cited Reliable Contracting and Equipment for the same problem less than 12 months ago.

By Ron Gallagher • Sept. 25, 2013

Army Corps, EPA working on uniform (and perhaps wider) wetlands jurisdiction rules

They have sent a not-yet-public draft for Office of Management and Budget review, but the agreement may well institute a very broad definition of where the Clean Water Act applies.

By Ron Gallagher • Sept. 25, 2013

Green construction liability claims have much in common with traditional claims

An attorney says that the specific may vary, but issues over sustainable buildings are still about parties who are unhappy with what they got.

By Ron Gallagher • Sept. 24, 2013

Report: FHWA can help states use unspent Recovery Act road money from Washington

There are legal ways that the Federal Highway Administration can help states commit unspent American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds, according to an inspector general's report.

By Ron Gallagher • Sept. 24, 2013

Equipment dealers say 'no way' to proposed Buy America constraint

A U.S.-Canadian trade group a proposal to restrict equipment bought with federal money to American-made machines is all-around bad idea.

By Ron Gallagher • Sept. 22, 2013

An invisible skyscraper and rooftop solar: The week's most read construction news

Need to catch up on the week's construction news? Now is your chance.

By Brian Warmoth • Sept. 20, 2013

OSHA tags R.I. company for trench-safety violation

Inspectors spotted a crew from D'Ambra Construction Co. Inc. that had workers laying pipe 6 to 7 feet below ground in a trench with nothing to stabilize it, the agency said.

By Ron Gallagher • Sept. 18, 2013

Road construction through Madonna's Long Island farmland angers county

The government has half of the development rights for her horse farm, which meant that a new road was not welcome.

By Ron Gallagher • Sept. 17, 2013

Hawaii rail project to rev up, though legal challenge remains undecided

It appeared Monday that even though a federal court challenge to a rail transit system for Oahu has not been resolved, the $5.3 billion project was going to start up again.

By Ron Gallagher • Sept. 16, 2013

N.C. joins opens the door for design-build gov't contracts

The Tar Heel State has a new law that allows state and local governments to consider design-build and public-private partnerships as routes to needed construction.

By Ron Gallagher • Sept. 15, 2013

Tragedy in the Midwest and useless size: The week's most read construction news

Catch up on some important stories this week with the posts our readers read the most.

By Brian Warmoth • Sept. 13, 2013

Contractor takes manager's side in legal dispute at Savannah River project

The project at South Carolina's Savannah River nuclear site is taking the construction manager's side in a dispute with subcontractor Baker Concrete Construction.

By Ron Gallagher • Sept. 12, 2013

Report: U.S. lawyers sued Lend Lease over WTC Memorial charges

Federal documents reportedly show Lend Lease paid $1.6 million to settle charges that it filed padded time sheets for the World Trade Center Memorial project.

By Ron Gallagher • Sept. 11, 2013

OSHA asks fines on infrastructure contractor Henkels & McCoy

A site inspection in New Jersey that combined local office and national agency priorities resulted in the contractor being cited for what OSHA said were six serious violations of safety rules.

By Ron Gallagher • Sept. 11, 2013

Feds say vet hiring goals for contractors have no penalties attached

The contracting industry has been fighting back with concerns over perceived quotas.

By Ron Gallagher • Sept. 11, 2013

Home builders seem to support new energy code proposal

The Natural Resources Defense Council says it has the support from 20 of the largest U.S. home builders for a new, comprehensive energy building code.

By Ron Gallagher • Sept. 10, 2013

Florida says storm winds are blowing harder, but current design standards are OK

New data shows peak winds along the Florida coasts are running 20 to 30 mph higher, but the state says that's already factored into the design standards in the building code.

By Ron Gallagher • Sept. 9, 2013

Developer hopes micro-apartments will compete with hotels

Potter hopes to take a chunk out of Google and Amazon.com's budgets for temporary housing.

By Brian Warmoth • Sept. 9, 2013

Marketing residential? Be careful referring to 'active adults'

Never mind calling potential customers what they consider themselves to be – but the "active adult" category may raise fair-housing issues.

By Ron Gallagher • Sept. 4, 2013

Calif., paving industry pushing to work out last worries over new paving specs

The California Department of Transportation is trying to implement Superpave asphalt specifications on work after next July 1, but some "issues of concern" remain for a government-industry committee.

By Ron Gallagher • Sept. 3, 2013

EPA pushes on toward potentially troublesome ozone standards

Buoyed by a recent court decision on proposed air-quality standards, the federal government is working on how states can implement rules that could seriously affect construction equipment.

By Ron Gallagher • Aug. 28, 2013

Hospital, budget overrun, contractor wants out: It's the 'VA Story'

In a case reminiscent of a Florida dispute, the contractor for a Veterans Affairs hospital being built in Denver says it wants to quit because there won't be enough money to finish the job.

By Ron Gallagher • Aug. 27, 2013

Ontario engineers: Standards, not client's wishes, should drive inspections

No one took an in-depth look at the damage from ongoing leaks in the roof of a mall in Elliot Lake, Ontario, because the owner could not afford extensive repairs that might have prevented a fatal collapse.

By Ron Gallagher • Aug. 27, 2013

Construction gets separate treatment as silica-dust rules released

OSHA is inviting comments on silica-dust control rules that would address construction as an industry separate from the rest of the regulated community.

By Ron Gallagher • Aug. 26, 2013