Employment numbers continue growth...
The Bay Bridge Finally Opens...
And tagging sharks calls for tight coordination...
That and more on Construction News Tracker brought to you by Caterpillar and produced by ForConstructionPros.com
The latest labor data shows construction employment grew in 37 states in the last year, and an AGC analysis claims job recovery remains spotty. In fact, says Chief Economist Ken Simonsen, only two states have surpassed pre-recession peaks while just a third managed to add construction jobs in the last couple of months.
Most States Showing Year-Over-Year Employment Gains Despite July Decreases
Meanwhile, Associated Builders & Contractors Construction Backlog Indicator rose 3.9 percent in the second quarter of the year. From 7.9 to 8.2 months right now. The CBI is the amount of commercial and industrial construction work under contract but yet to be finished. ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu says the non-residential outlook shows improvement, though still remains on soft ground.
Some 25 years since the Loma Prieta Earthquake destoryed part of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay bridge in 1989 it has finally re-opened. After years of delays and billions over budget, the final hurdle was the discovery early this year of bad bolts used to stabilize the structure during earthquakes. Engineers came up with a temporary fix, and the Federal Highway Administration gave its blessing for the Labor Day weekend opening.
Trans Canada has apparently had enough of the stall tactics over its Keystone Pipeline from Canada to the U.S. approved by regulators. So the Company says it plans to proceed with a $1.5 billion extension of its Nova Gas Transmission system to reach new export terminals in British Columbia. Armed with a deal with Progress Energy Canada, the pipeline will handle a steady flow of natural gas resources. As for the conflicted Keystone project, a watchdog of the U.S. State Department has ordered a probe into whther contractor Foggy Bottom had a conflict of interest in its draft environmental analysis on the XL Pipeline.
A new effort to tag and test shark is underway via the Ocearch Research Vessel . A small armada use chum, seal edecoys and even air recon to find and lure the massive fish to the mother ship. The 126-foot sea lab, a joint multi-year partnership with caterpillar and restaurant company Landrys, in need of rehab the research team turned to the marine division of New England dealer Milton Cat, and the vessel overhaul was completed according to Chief Engineer Chris Fisher.
The Cat relationship with Ocearch goes far beyond the engine room as the worldwide dealer network is essential for the vessel to roam the seas seeking data on the biology and health of sharks resulting in 20 institutions becoming involved. For Cat and its dealer network even the first catch was historic.
You and your family can participate as Ocearch Global Shark Tracker has become an online project with the Stem curribulum for 6-8th grade students and can be followed at YouTube Ocearch Project.
In closing, if you ovserve all the rules of life you'll overlook most of its opportunities.
This is Construction News Tracker watching out for the industry that makes the world a better place. Brought to you by Caterpillar and produced by ForConstructionPros.com.
