Maryland’s beleaguered Purple Line light-rail project broke ground today, Bethesda Magazine reported. Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao were present. Read the article >>>
Kansas City Eyes Bond Requirement for Subdivision Developers
The Manhattan City Commission will discuss a draft resolution Tuesday that would require subdivision developers to make upfront security payments for benefit district work. The work session starts at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall. The commission will discuss this draft as the city seeks ways to reduce risks associated with benefit districts being used for residential subdivision development. Tell me …
Pennsylvania Borough Requires Bonds From Road Contractors
Contractors will now need a permit and to post bonds before cutting into or digging under Conyngham streets. On Tuesday, Conyngham Borough Council adopted a street excavation ordinance that requires people to obtain a permit and pay a $150 fee before doing any street work, solicitor Donald Karpowich said. Read the full article >>>
Private Owners, Firms Might Have to Invest More in Construction-Labor Education
Ask commercial developers in a major market to name their biggest challenges, and the rising cost of construction will be at or near the top of the list. But while the complaints have grown louder in recent years, the underlying problem has been decades in the making, and the current administration’s policies only figure to make it worse. Read the …
Take Steps to Protect Against Violations of Federal Contracting Rules
The U.S. government appropriated $120 billion for federal construction spending in 2017, covering a range of projects from the construction of a new Federal Bureau of Investigation headquarters to building agricultural research facilities, according to the Associated General Contractors of America. President Donald Trump’s 2018 budget proposal, even with its cuts to key federal spending programs and new funds for …
New Mexico Man Sentenced for Using Fake Bond on School Project, Evading Tax
An Albuquerque-area contractor has been ordered to spend 27 months in federal prison and pay more than $410,000 in restitution in a tax evasion and fraud case. Federal prosecutors say 38-year-old Joseph Dubois was sentenced this week. His prison term will be followed by three years of supervised release. Tell me more >>>
Texas Court Upholds Jury Award to Sub on Failed Toll Road
Nearly every major US toll road project has gone bankrupt or required a government bailout. When this happens, little attention is given to the construction crews who worked on the project that go unpaid. This is what happened to Dig Tech, a small Texas firm that had a deal to dig trenches and install the electrical conduit for the ill-fated …
Senator: S.C. Residents Paying for Lack of Bond on Nuclear Plant
As a freshman senator I voted against the now infamous Base Load Review Act (BLRA) and urged my colleagues to do likewise. Unfortunately it wasn’t so infamous back then. I lost by a vote of 21 to 1 in the April 3, 2007, Senate Judiciary Committee meeting. I lost by an even larger margin via voice vote on the Senate …
New Orleans Street Project Might Have Broken Public-Bid Law
Louisiana’s largest construction industry trade group is raising concerns that the city of New Orleans may have violated public bid law by using a generic pavement maintenance contract to conduct the first major reconstruction of Bourbon Street in more than 90 years. Read the article >>>
GAO Finds No Tracking of Waivers of Miller Act Bonds
Contractors performing federal construction contracts that exceed $150,000 are required to obtain performance and payment surety bonds – which guarantee that the contractor will abide by the terms of the contract, and that suppliers and subcontractors will be paid if the contractor defaults. Read the full article >>>