Texas Central Railroad A “Game Changer”; Tops List of Most Important North American Infrastructure Projects

Texas Central Railroad A “Game Changer”; Tops List of Most Important North American Infrastructure Projects

The Texas Central high-speed railroad project was identified as a top infrastructure project in North America last week by the infrastructure advocacy group CG/LA in its annual “Strategic North American Infrastructure Report,” which identifies the “most imaginative and transformative” American infrastructure projects. The annual industry report is a product of a rigorous, six-month research and analysis effort by…

METRO Drives 10 million miles on CNG

METRO Drives 10 million miles on CNG

Since 2016, Houston METRO has traveled 10 million miles with their fleet of compressed natural gas buses. The CNG fleet currently has 50 buses and will have 20 more by the end of 2018. Natural gas buses are leading the alternative fuels charge against outdated diesel and gasoline fuels. Houston is ranked 11th on the American Lung Association’s list of worst polluted…

U.S. Department of Labor Issues Final Rule on Crane Operator Certification Requirements

U.S. Department of Labor Issues Final Rule on Crane Operator Certification Requirements

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) published a final rule today that clarifies certification requirements for crane operators, and maintains the employer’s duty to ensure that crane operators can safely operate the equipment. The final rule will maintain safety and health protections for workers while reducing compliance burdens. Under the final…

How to Create an OSHA-Compliant Safety Program

How to Create an OSHA-Compliant Safety Program

Regardless of the type of construction you perform, OSHA essentially requires that a safety program be developed and taught to any employee or crew member. Having a safety program written for and taught to employees should be standard practice for commercial contractors. Unfortunately, not having a safety program that is compliant with OSHA standards in…

Subcontractors: Three Industry Trends and Impacts on Obtaining Permits in 2019

Subcontractors: Three Industry Trends and Impacts on Obtaining Permits in 2019

On December 3, 2018, I attended the first annual Asian | Turkish | Indo-American Chambers of Commerce Real Estate and Construction Summit in Houston, Texas.  There were three industry panels that provided a treasure trove of industry insights and data along with two powerful keynote speakers including State of Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, Glenn…

M&M Liens: A Critical Safety Net in Construction Law

M&M Liens: A Critical Safety Net in Construction Law

The mechanic’s and materialmen’s lien, more commonly known as the M&M lien, protects contractors and subcontractors in the event of a dispute regarding labor or services performed. An M&M lien is a way to recoup loss of payment by attaching a lien to a property, making it more difficult to sell or forcing a foreclosure…

How construction robots can amplify workers’ expertise

How construction robots can amplify workers’ expertise

Construction jobsites will one day be bustling with “terminator-type,” humanoid robots, according to Scott Peters, president and co-founder of Construction Robotics, but that future may be a long ways off for the industry. For now, the Victor, New York-based company recognizes that human workers have unique expertise and problem-solving skills to offer, and that to increase…

5 technologies boosting productivity on the jobsite

5 technologies boosting productivity on the jobsite

When McKinsey released a report in February 2017 about construction’s productivity gap, much attention was given to the industry’s abysmal 1% annual productivity growth rate, which is less than half of the 2.8% global construction growth rate. However, McKinsey’s report said U.S. contractors could increase productivity in part by “infusing digital technology, new materials and…

STATES OF REDUCTION: POWERING LOWER EMISSIONS

STATES OF REDUCTION: POWERING LOWER EMISSIONS

Natural gas has become the No. 1 fuel source for electricity generation in the U.S. As a result, increased use of natural gas and other lower-carbon energy sources is driving down overall emissions. Specifically, from 2005 to 2016, the U.S. has reduced its CO2 emissions from power plants by 24 percent while increasing its power generation by 1…

5 Ways to Engage your Organization to Improve Win Rate

5 Ways to Engage your Organization to Improve Win Rate

As Business Development Leaders we are responsible for identifying and vetting opportunities that are good for our business. How we move and the steps we take after can be the difference between winning and losing. So where do you start? You start with who and what you know. Tapping the employees within your organization and…

Three Tips to Land Big Tech Construction Contracts

Three Tips to Land Big Tech Construction Contracts

The tech boom has influenced more than cell phones and ride sharing. Big tech brands are bringing out the best in construction companies with their desire for bigger, cooler and technologically advanced buildings. As innovative structures push the construction industry forward, contractors show how creative they can be. The latest example of structural innovation can…

Understanding technology’s role in an uncertain construction economy

Understanding technology’s role in an uncertain construction economy

Construction growth remains sluggish; for architects, embracing technology’s role in the numbers, as well as in design, can make a difference The economy continues to be strong overall, yet construction continues the two-steps-forward-one-step-back momentum it has seen for most of the recovery. According to the latest data analyzed by ConstructConnect, the overall economy weakened in the first…

Blending art and science: How automated design saves AEC projects time and money

Blending art and science: How automated design saves AEC projects time and money

From Arup to SimpsonHaugh and Partners, architects are reaping the efficiencies of automated design. AIA partner Bentley Systems explores what’s happening and what’s to come. As most designers know, architecture is a blend of art and science. The architectural design process requires the designer to synthesize a lot of varied information and evaluate all possible ideas. Automated…

OPPORTUNITIES WITH SMALL BUSINESSES

OPPORTUNITIES WITH SMALL BUSINESSES

Port Houston held a small business forum focused on doing business with the port’s maintenance services team Sept. 27. Senior Director of Maintenance Paulo Soares shared some of the port’s best practices and procedures for procuring operations and equipment-focused contracts. The port’s maintenance department is responsible for the purchase, support and repair of terminal equipment,…

Texas Central Reaches Another Milestone With Addition of Salini Impregilo for Limited Notice to Proceed

Texas Central Reaches Another Milestone With Addition of Salini Impregilo for Limited Notice to Proceed

Salini Impregilo brings global experience, having built more than 4,000 miles of railway infrastructure, and will lead civil construction consortium Selection of multinational civil engineering contractors strengthens civil construction group for Texas line Announcement marks latest addition of expertise on America’s first high-speed train project Texas Central, developers of the high-speed train, has engaged the…

Construction Personal Protective Equipment for the Female Workforce

Construction Personal Protective Equipment for the Female Workforce

In 2015, women accounted for only 2.2% of production occupations in construction, which is one-sixth the level of “all other industries.” One of the challenges facing women in the construction industry is finding personal protective equipment (PPE) that fits properly. This is a serious issue because PPE that does not fit properly will not adequately protect…

Fighting the Fatal Four: OSHA-Based Solutions to Construction’s Deadliest Hazards

Fighting the Fatal Four: OSHA-Based Solutions to Construction’s Deadliest Hazards

At first glance, the concept of the “fatal four” may sound like a scare tactic implemented by the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) to keep construction workers on their toes. However, these four hazards accounted for nearly 64% of construction worker deaths in 2016. OSHA has even determined that eliminating the risks of the…

Five Secrets Revealed on How a Good Offense Helps to Obtain a Building Permit Fast

With hundreds of billions of dollars and many more construction opportunities on the horizon for contractors, some jurisdictions are scrambling to handle the work load for plan reviews to issue building permits.  And with recent hurricane-impacted areas along the Florida Gulf Coast and in the Carolinas, jurisdictions will become even more stretched. For contractors with…

ExxonMobil to Join Oil and Gas Climate Initiative

ExxonMobil to Join Oil and Gas Climate Initiative

ExxonMobil today said it will join the Oil and Gas Climate Initiative (OGCI), a voluntary initiative representing 13 of the world’s largest oil and gas producers working collaboratively toward solutions to mitigate the risks of climate change. The CEO-led organization focuses on developing practical solutions in areas including carbon capture and storage, methane emissions reductions and…

10 THINGS YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW ABOUT NATURAL GAS

10 THINGS YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW ABOUT NATURAL GAS

Natural gas – it heats our homes, powers our appliances, generates electricity and can even fuel vehicles. This versatile and abundant resource is helping to drive a manufacturing renaissance across America and contributing to emissions reductions all over the world. Though natural gas is in the news quite a bit, many people only associate it with home…