us-business

The huge span was moved during night-time road closures – moving between 18 and 24 metres every night using a special skidding system – ensuring that the road has remained open during the day. From the first day of the move on 15 August, the team – helped by favourable weather conditions, were able to get ahead of programme, meaning the road will be back to normal today instead of the planned full reopening on Monday 25 August. HS2’s Head of Delivery for the Curzon Approaches, Greg Sugden said: “This is a fantastic achievement for the team, and the culmination of two years’ work including detailed design, planning, construction and delivery of this highly technical launch operation. “It is the first steel structure to be put in place for the one mile stretch of viaducts on the approach to Birmingham Curzon Street Station – a pivotal part of the high-speed railway now starting to take shape.” Georgios Markakis, Project Manager at Balfour Beatty VINCI said: “This is a proud moment for my team, who have worked hard to deliver this impressive feat of engineering. Through careful planning and expert support from our supply chain, we were able to deliver the operation much quicker than planned. “Not only have we successfully delivered a milestone feat of engineering on the HS2 project, we’ve also been able to get the road back to normal early – which is good news for everyone.” Rather than building the bridge in situ, disruption to road users was drastically reduced by constructing the steel span on land next to Digbeth Canal over the last two years. On 15 August 2025, heavy lifting engineering experts Mammoet rotated the bridge 90 degrees using two self-propelled modular transporters (SPMTs). Over the following four nights, a skidding system – with a jacking push/pull mechanism, was used alongside the SPMTs to move the structure into place across Lawley Middleway. This combination of techniques is rarely used and is a first for BBV on the HS2 project. Lawley Middleway bridge forms part of the railway’s approach to Birmingham, with high-speed trains travelling out of the west portal of the 3.5 mile Bromford Tunnel at Washwood Heath and onto a one mile stretch of five connected viaducts – Duddeston Junction, Curzon 1, Curzon 2, Lawley Middleway and Curzon 3 which links onto the platforms of Birmingham Curzon Street Station. Now at peak productivity, work will progress on this section of the railway with the second Bromford Tunnel breakthrough, Curzon 2 viaduct move, first Duddeston Junction Viaduct move, reopening of Aston Church Road, demolition of the old Aston Church Road bridge and start of construction of the new Saltley Viaduct – all set to happen over the next 12 months. Read More

A total of 17 contractors have been appointed to a £475m housing framework in north-west England. The framework from JV North Limited, a consortium of social housing providers, will be used to deliver affordable housing including houses, flats and bungalows, as well as conversions and small-scale remodelling. The client may also call on contractors to deliver public realm or commercial elements as part of wider neighbourhood schemes, according to a 21 August contract notice. The first lot, worth £75m, covers projects up to £4m. Lot two covers projects valued at £4m–£12m and is worth £250m while the final lot, valued at £150m, covers schemes above £12m (see boxout for full list of contractors). All contract values exclude VAT. Seddon was appointed to lots two and three, while Eric Wright won a place on lot three. The framework will be used by JV North’s current and future members. It runs across the North West and is focused primarily on affordable new-build housing, though it can be used for regeneration and infrastructure elements tied to residential projects. JV North framework contractors by lot Lot 1 (£75m total value) John Southworth Builders PLP Construction J Greenwood (Builders) M&Y Maintenance and Construction P. Tyson Construction Whitfield & Brown (Developments) P Casey & Co Westshield GK Construction & Project Management McCaul Build Lot 2 (£250m total value) John Southworth Builders J Greenwood (Builders) Watson Construction P Casey & Co Seddon Construction PLP Construction Whitfield & Brown (Developments) GK Construction & Project Management M&Y Maintenance and Construction Rowlinson Constructions P. Tyson Construction Countryside Properties (UK) Lot 3 (£150m total value) Eric Wright Construction Watson Construction Countryside Properties (UK) Rowlinson Constructions Seddon Construction Termrim Construction Breck Homes Source: Gov.uk Find a Tender Read More

Nearly £89bn-worth of construction and infrastructure projects are not currently considered achievable, a Construction News analysis has found. Data from the first National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (NISTA) annual report showed that sector projects worth £88.8bn were rated Red, meaning “successful delivery of the project appears to be unachievable”. Just £7.6bn-worth of projects are rated Green. The majority of the known Red-rated costs relate to one programme – a £20bn-£53bn plan to site and construct a permanent geological disposal facility for storing radioactive waste. A report from parliament’s Public Accounts Committee in June highlighted that the project was “considerably” delayed, with the latest date slipping from 2040 to the late 2050s. A location for the facility has not yet been found, though government body Nuclear Waste Services is working with several councils to identify a suitable site. Every decade of delay means Sellafield, where nuclear waste is stored, may need to construct another short-term storage building, each costing £500m-£760m, the committee warned at the time. As previously reported, other Red-rated projects include three prison expansion programmes – but the wholelife costs of the projects have been withheld in NISTA’s report with the body citing “commercial confidentiality”. The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said the schemes, which were previously rated Amber, were hit by the administration of ISG last year. The ratings were assigned at the end of March but only made public earlier this month. The MoJ said its Small Secure Houseblocks programme was Red-rated due to it requiring a new business case due to its costs rising. The revised case has now been approved and the project will have an Amber rating in 2025/26, it said. HS2’s phase one is also included in the category but a cost estimate is not given as it is not known how much the rest of the multibillion-pound megaproject will need. Eleven construction projects are rated Red, with wholelife costs provided for seven of them. Ten projects are rated Green. NISTA defined this as: “Successful delivery of the project on time, budget and quality appears highly likely and there are no major outstanding issues that at this stage appear to threaten delivery significantly.” The Green-rated projects include the £468m design phase of the Small Modular Reactor (SMR) project and the £2bn Home Building Fund – a lending scheme for developers. The wholelife cost of one Green-rated project – the National Highways A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet upgrade in Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire – was withheld for commercial reasons. The majority of projects are rated as Amber, meaning “delivery appears feasible but significant issues already exist, requiring management attention. These appear resolvable at this stage and, if addressed promptly, should not present a cost/schedule overrun.” These 40 schemes are worth a combined £173bn. They include the £2.9bn Affordable Homes Programme and £3.8bn Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme. NISTA said its ratings were “not a comprehensive reflection of project performance but reflect a project’s likelihood of success at a specific snapshot in time if issues and risks are left unaddressed”. It added: “[Assessments] change depending on the challenges projects are facing, the results of focused independent assurance reviews and actions taken by projects. By taking the right steps following reviews and managing delivery challenges effectively, [assessments] are often improved over time.” Ratings on four schemes were withheld altogether due to “commercial interests”. These include Sizewell C and the establishment of Great British Nuclear’s full SMR programme. The other two are carbon-capture and storage schemes – HyNet Anchor in North Wales and East Coast Cluster Anchor on Teesside. Dale Vince, owner of power company Ecotricity, said on LinkedIn earlier this week: “Carbon capture and storage is an absurdly expensive technology, non-existent at commercial scale anywhere in the world – by all means explore it, but not with a £9bn spend. “It’s a million miles off working if the plan is to dump captured carbon into a hole and forget it.” Read More

A Bedfordshire-based civil engineering contractor has entered administration. Ants Group turned over £19.3m in its last reported financial period, which covered the 18 months to 31 March 2024. The group carried out civil engineering work, as well as drilling and renewable energy installation.  However, it appointed David Kemp and Richard Hunt of Exigen Group as administrators on 14 August.    The company made a pre-tax loss of £100,000 in its last reported financial period, with net assets of £246,000. At that time, Ants Group owed more than £6.3m to creditors, which needed to be repaid within 12 months.  The firm was based in Bedford, with other offices in Northamptonshire and Newcastle. It operated around the UK, particularly in the East of England, and employed around 34 staff.  Ants Group worked on the £165m Papworth Hospital project, completed by Skanska in 2019 for Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Trust, as well as the Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool and the Halifax regional office of Lloyds Bank.  It also worked for major university clients including the University of West London, Oxford Brookes and Jesus College Cambridge as well as local authorities such as Luton Council, Cambridgeshire Council and Northamptonshire Council. Exigen Group and Ants Group’s former managing director Liam Parker were contacted for comment.  Read More

Willmott Dixon has secured a contract to build a new net-zero Passivhaus primary school and community hub in Glyn-coch, South Wales, for Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council. The contractor was appointed through the South East and Mid Wales Collaborative Construction Framework to deliver the scheme, which will replace Craig yr Hesg Primary School on its existing site and adjoining land. In March 2023, the project was announced as one of only three successful proposals in Wales to receive 100 per cent grant funding (up to £15m from the Welsh Government’s Sustainable Schools Challenge, according to the council. The two-storey development will include classrooms, community rooms, playgrounds, two Multi Use Games Areas, a grass sports pitch, and a car park with 43 spaces, including electric vehicle charging bays. Bike, scooter and buggy storage will also be provided. Stride Treglown is the architect on the project, which is targeting Passivhaus certification as well as Building With Nature and the WELL Building Standard. Environmental features include rain gardens and nature-based surface water management systems. The scheme has received grant support from the Welsh Government’s Sustainable Communities for Learning programme and was one of three projects selected under the Sustainable Schools Challenge. The funding was secured in spring 2023. Construction officially began in August 2025 with a turf-cutting ceremony attended by Rhondda Cynon Taf Council cabinet members, Cynon Valley Member of the Senedd Vikki Howells and MP Alex Davies-Jones. The completed building is due to open in autumn 2026 and will consolidate pupils from Craig yr Hesg and Cefn primary schools into a new English medium facility. A Welsh language nursery (Meithrin) will also be incorporated into the site. Willmott Dixon is expanding its low-carbon education portfolio in Wales. The contractor recently completed Passivhaus-standard homes in Caerphilly and is delivering net-zero projects for Bridgend College and Leicestershire County Council. Source: Willmott Dixon announcement/Rhondda Cynon Taf Council Read More

Entries and pass rates for the Construction and Built Environment GCSE have increased this year across the UK, with the subject’s popularity in Northern Ireland up by 71 per cent since 2019. The latest annual GCSE results released this morning (21 August) revealed that 1,484 students sat the construction qualification in 2025, up from 1,463 last year. Northern Ireland accounted for 1,366 of these entries. The overall pass rate (grades 4/C and above) rose from 76.3 per cent to 80.7 per cent, with 99.3 per cent achieving at least a grade 1/G. Among all UK candidates, girls outperformed boys again this year, with 48 per cent achieving a grade 7/A on the construction course compared with 27.3 per cent of male students. Michael McAuley, interim director of qualifications at the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations & Assessment (CCEA), said: “With over 2 million people employed in the construction sector across the UK, including 70,000 in Northern Ireland, CCEA recognises the importance of the sector to our economy through our Construction and the Built Environment qualification,” he said. The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) reacted to today’s results by calling for clearer careers advice and greater focus on technical routes to construction careers. Its latest research found that 67 per cent of 16-24-year-olds had a positive view of the industry, but 47 per cent said construction was not included in school career guidance. David Barnes, head of policy and public affairs at the CIOB, warned that the UK’s infrastructure and climate targets could be at risk unless more young people entered the industry. “With demand for skilled workers in construction continuing to rise, there’s never been a better time to consider a career in this rewarding industry,” he said. Barnes added that parents also viewed construction careers favourably, with nearly 80 per cent saying they would support their child entering the sector. Just under half of respondents to the CIOB survey favoured apprenticeships over university due to concerns about debt and job security. Read More

Image courtesy Balfour Beatty The North Carolina History Center on Civil War, Emancipation and Reconstruction will house 16,000 sq ft of exhibition space, classrooms, a library, a 2,000-sq-ft community meeting room and other amenities. Balfour Beatty and Varnedoe Construction recently broke ground on the final phase of The North Carolina Center on Civil War, Emancipation and Reconstruction in Fayetteville, N.C. The $85-million, 60,000-sq-ft facility is scheduled to complete in spring 2028. Set in Fayetteville’s Arsenal Park, the center be an educational and cultural institution, telling the stories of all North Carolinians before, during and after the Civil War. The Center will leverage resources from the University of North Carolina System, the Smithsonian Institution and community historians to present a comprehensive and inclusive narrative of the Civil War and its legacy. The large-scale exhibit galleries and operational spaces were designed by Vines Architecture and Eisterhold Associates. Adam Brakenbury, managing principal at Vines Architecture, says that, in addition to its cultural exhibits, the facility will serve as a community center. It will house 16,000 sq ft of exhibition space, a rotating exhibit gallery, classrooms, a library, a 2,000-sq-ft community meeting room, and space for events, a cafe and gift shop. “The design of the building provides transparency, natural light, warm materials and a large front porch to create a friendly and inclusive environment,” he says. Brakenbury says he expects erection of the steel frame to start in the spring. The project, in planning for more than 15 years, is funded by the State of North Carolina, City of Fayetteville, Cumberland County and private donors. The multi-phase development began with the VanStory History Village and an outdoor educational pavilion. When complete, the center will be operated by the state Dept. of Natural and Cultural Resources.  “The center is a meaningful addition to our public assembly portfolio in the Carolinas,” Jeff Sandeen, president of Balfour Beatty’s Carolinas, said in a press release. “It’s a privilege to contribute to a project that will educate and inspire future generations.” Bruce Buckley is a freelance writer and photographer based in the Washington, D.C., area. Read More

Rendering courtesy MDTA The new two-mile-long bridge Key Bridge in Baltimore will be longer and higher than its 1970s-era steel arch continuous truss predecessor. Maryland transportation officials have proposed altering the route of Baltimore’s new Francis Scott Key Bridge in an effort to accelerate construction and limit environmental impacts. Originally planned to occupy the Patapsco River footprint of the original 1.7-mile steel bridge, which collapsed after being struck by a disabled container vessel in the early morning hours of March 26, 2024, the new two-mile-long cable-stayed structure will be built on a parallel alignment approximately 260 ft to the southeast. According to the Maryland Transportation Authority, the move allows work on the new structure to ramp up while demolition of the old bridge’s remaining portions proceeds, removing a potential obstacle from meeting the currently scheduled fall 2028 completion date. Along with avoiding leftover debris from the collapsed structure, the agency hopes to minimize the disruptive effects of dredging the old bridge’s remaining piers from below the mud line, which could have downstream water quality effects on the Chesapeake Bay. Because the proposed rerouting plan involves a change to the project’s environmental permit, it must be approved by the Maryland Dept. of the Environment, and the state’s Board of Public Works. MDTA has not said how long that process will take. Since getting underway in July, demolition work on the old bridge has focused first on removing remaining bridge sections extending into the Patapsco River. Once that work is complete, workers will remove the remaining ground level sections, followed by the abutments. Designed by Kiewit Infrastructure Co. under the $73-million first phase of a progressive design-build contract, the new bridge will be longer and higher than its 1970s-era steel arch continuous truss predecessor, providing greater vertical and horizontal clearance to accommodate the increasingly large vessels calling on the Port of Baltimore. The design calls for the two 600-ft-tall main span pylons to be separated by more than 1,600 ft, with the bridge deck 230 ft above an approximately 1,000-ft-wide main deep-draft shipping channel. The new pylons also will have a collision protection system in line with AASHTO-recommended standards for bridges of this type. The National Transportation Safety Board, which continues to investigate the collapse that killed six construction workers, noted a March 18, 2025 vulnerability guidance document that the four 28-ft-diameter, rubber-fendered dolphins constructed along the old Key Bridge’s 700-ft-wide navigation channel were insufficient in both size and location to protect the structure’s piers from a collision from an off-course vessel. Meanwhile, test piles are expected to be driven into the Patapsco River’s soft riverbed next month. The total cost for the replacement bridge has been estimated at $1.7 billion, though MDTA says it plans to issue a revised cost and schedule this fall. Jim Parsons is a freelance writer who covers the industry from metro Washington, DC. Read More

Courtesy of Webuild Group Construction crews work at a tunnel portal along the Salerno–Reggio Calabria high-speed rail corridor. The $1.75-billion Paola–Cosenza section includes 17 km of new tunneling, highlighted by the 15.4-km Santomarco Tunnel. Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (RFI), the Italian government’s railway infrastructure manager, has tapped a consortium led by Webuild to design and build the Paola–Cosenza section of the Salerno–Reggio Calabria high-speed line in a $1.75-billion contract.  Webuild holds a 60% share, joined by SELI, Ghella and Impresa Pizzarotti, according to the company announcement. According to Railway PRO, the project is expected to be completed by 2032; Webuild did not respond to ENR’s request for comment on the timeline. The team will build 22 kilometers of new double-track line in Calabria, almost entirely underground, with the 15.4-km Santomarco Tunnel as its centerpiece. Four tunnel-boring machines will excavate most of the alignment, but faulted and water-laden zones will require traditional excavation, Webuild noted. The scope also includes nine bridges, two viaducts and a new station at Montalto Uffugo for the University of Calabria. Engineers face faulted ground and shifting hydrogeology along the alignment, requiring a mix of mechanized and conventional tunneling. Surface works intersect rivers and drainage channels, necessitating extensive water management. Environmental safeguards include vibration monitoring and strict spoil controls, according to Rete Ferroviaria Italiana. European Corridor Priority The Salerno–Reggio Calabria line forms part of the EU’s Scandinavian–Mediterranean TEN-T network, identified by the European Commission as one of nine “core” transport corridors across the continent. Travel time between Rome and Reggio Calabria is projected to drop to three hours and forty minutes, from today’s five hours. Infrastructure Minister Matteo Salvini framed the works as “central to completing the Scan-Med corridor and boosting access to Southern Italy,” adding in remarks reported by Reuters that, “This railway is not only a national priority—it is Europe’s investment in Italy’s future. We will not let technical or criminal obstacles derail progress.” Paola–Cosenza’s $79-million/km cost aligns with other tunnel-dominated works. By comparison, RFI places Naples–Bari at $6.32 billion for 145 km, or about $43.6M/km, on its Naples–Bari project page. On Sicily, RFI values the Taormina–Giampilieri segment of the Palermo–Catania–Messina corridor at $1.56 billion for 28 km, or $55.7M/km. The government’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan, summarized in a parliamentary dossier reviewed by ENR, supports the southern rail push with $5.05 billion in loans. One of the first sections to advance under this funding is the 35-km Battipaglia–Romagnano line, budgeted at $1.96 billion.  Construction there is already underway with the help of “Partenope,” a 13.46-m tunnel-boring machine weighing 4,000 tons with 10 MW of power that Webuild says is the largest in Europe. Italy’s SILOS infrastructure portal currently pegs the overall 445-km Salerno–Reggio Calabria line at about $12.2 billion. RELATED WeBuild Leads Revived Planned $15.7B Messina Crossing Economic Footprint Webuild estimates 1,500 workers will be employed on Paola–Cosenza, while its southern Italy portfolio spans 19 projects totaling 320 km of high-speed rail, engaging about 8,700 people and thousands of suppliers. RFI highlights both economic and social impacts: freight bound for Gioia Tauro port will run more efficiently, while tourists heading to Cilento, Vallo di Diano and Calabria’s Ionian coast will have faster access. “The project will significantly improve the capacity and efficiency of the railway connection between the Tyrrhenian coast and inland areas of Calabria, ensuring better accessibility to Cosenza and strengthening the Bari–Taranto–Gioia Tauro freight route,” Webuild said. Bryan Gottlieb is the online editor at Engineering News-Record (ENR). Gottlieb is a five-time Society of Professional Journalists Excellence in Journalism award winner with more than a decade of experience covering business, construction, and community issues. He has worked at Adweek, managed a community newsroom in Santa Monica, Calif., and reported on finance, law, and real estate for the San Diego Daily Transcript. He later served as editor-in-chief of the Detroit Metro Times and was managing editor at Roofing Contractor, where he helped shape national industry coverage. Gottlieb covers breaking news, large-scale infrastructure projects, new products and business email: gottliebb@enr.com | office: (248) 786-1591 Read More

Photo by Trevor Cokley, courtesy of the U.S. Air Force Academy Scaffolding fills the U.S. Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel in Colorado Springs, Colo., as part of the $334.7-million restoration of the National Historic Landmark. The structure, closed since 2019 due to water infiltration, is undergoing full disassembly and repair under a long-term contract led by JE Dunn Construction. The U.S. Dept. of Defense awarded contracts across the Army, Navy, Air Force and Defense Logistics Agency on Aug. 19 with new obligations exceeding $242 million and cumulative values surpassing $260 million, according to official announcements. Air Force Contracts A group of six small businesses secured a $95-million indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract covering maintenance, repair and minor construction at Altus and Vance Air Force bases in Oklahoma, Sheppard AFB in Texas and Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Arkansas.  The multiple-award vehicle, set to run through August 2030, allows the firms to compete for task orders across a range of facility projects. Fourteen bids were submitted. Initial obligations total $7.6 million in fiscal 2025 military construction funds.  Awardees include Acts Group Inc., Virginia Beach, Va.; New Dominion Construction LLC, Dumfries, Va.; COHO Construction Management LLC, Anchorage, Alaska; Marrero, Couvillion & Associates LLC, Baton Rouge, La.; Gideon Red JV LLC, Kenner, La.; and PAM WCI JV LLC, Midwest City, Okla. In Colorado, JE Dunn Construction Co., Kansas City, Mo., received an $88.1-million modification for the ongoing restoration of the U.S. Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel. The award lifts the cumulative value to $334.7 million, with completion expected in November 2028.  Department of Defense contract awards announced Aug. 19, 2025, totaled more than $260 million, led by a $95-million Air Force IDIQ and $88.1-million Cadet Chapel restoration. Source: U.S. Department of Defense RELATED US Defense Dept. Announces $25B+ in New IDIQ Contract Awards The National Historic Landmark, completed in 1962, has been closed since 2019 due to structural problems from moisture infiltration, requiring full disassembly of its aluminum panels and stained-glass windows.  The technically complex restoration has drawn industry attention for its engineering challenges. Fiscal 2025 operations and maintenance appropriations are funding the modification. At Andersen AFB in Guam, Techni-Con Inc. of Mangilao won a $7.99-million contract to replace underground electrical feeders, duct banks, switches and transformers at the base’s munitions storage area. The project is part of broader Pacific basing and resiliency investments to harden critical facilities. Nine bids were received, with completion scheduled for March 2027. Navy Contracts Boeing Co., St. Louis, Mo., received a $22.3-million order to upgrade P-8A Poseidon aircrew training devices with new digital video recording systems. The contract includes $4.7 million from the Royal Australian Air Force, underscoring the maritime patrol aircraft’s role as a U.S.-allied platform.  Work will be performed in Florida, Washington, Texas and Australia, with completion expected in November 2027. The order was sole-sourced. General Dynamics Mission Systems, Manassas, Va., secured a $15.3-million contract for shipset production, engineering and installation support on submarine platforms. Options could push the total value to $91.1 million through August 2030.  Work will be distributed across Virginia, Connecticut, Nevada, Washington, Hawaii, California and Georgia. The initial phase is scheduled through August 2026; the contract was awarded under special statutory authority without competition. Army Contracts Orion Marine Construction, Tampa, Fla., won a $13.8-million firm-fixed-price contract for maintenance dredging in the Galveston International Waterway near Calhoun, Texas. The work, expected to finish by January 2026, is part of ongoing Gulf Coast efforts to maintain navigation channels essential to port and energy-sector competitiveness.  Four bids were submitted for the project, which is funded through fiscal 2025 Army National Guard operation and maintenance appropriations. Defense Logistics Agency Contract ACM Elite, Stevensville, Mont., received a $10-million maximum-value contract to produce B-52 aircraft engine hanger beams for the Air Force. The five-year award, competitively bid with two responses, replaces a previously announced contract to Infinity Fabrication. It runs through August 2030 and is funded through defense working capital funds. Bryan Gottlieb is the online editor at Engineering News-Record (ENR). Gottlieb is a five-time Society of Professional Journalists Excellence in Journalism award winner with more than a decade of experience covering business, construction, and community issues. He has worked at Adweek, managed a community newsroom in Santa Monica, Calif., and reported on finance, law, and real estate for the San Diego Daily Transcript. He later served as editor-in-chief of the Detroit Metro Times and was managing editor at Roofing Contractor, where he helped shape national industry coverage. Gottlieb covers breaking news, large-scale infrastructure projects, new products and business email: gottliebb@enr.com | office: (248) 786-1591 Read More