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by Tom Finan, Executive Director/Co-Founder, Construction Forum Our region’s location, transportation resources, and active collaborations played a major role in the narrative Wednesday when the St. Louis Freightway presented its annual list of transportation priority projects. The list included 27 projects topping $8B in value. (Click here for the complete list.) The presentation was made […]

From The Fabricator:  When my editor asked me to write a column on the three biggest challenges facing manufacturers this year, I said sure. However, when I put pen to paper, it became very difficult to narrow it to three. I own a small manufacturing company with my husband—12 employees—and I consult a handful of […]

From Probuilder:  The construction industry has long been recognized as a male-dominated field where women face numerous challenges and barriers to entry and advancement. Gender bias, stereotypes, and underrepresentation are prevalent and can hinder a woman’s career progress and overall job satisfaction in the construction sector. A study by the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) […]

From CMT:  Metro Transit recently released an update on the progress of the Secure Platform Plan. When the Secure Platform Plan was initiated, it was divided into six packages to ensure progress across the system could be seen as individual packages reached completion. The following outlines the status of each of the six packages. Package […]

From St. Louis Business Journal:  Union Station is planning a huge expansion with new amusement rides to hopefully open next summer. While some of the best attractions remain at Union Station, the National Historic Landmark keeps reinventing itself. “From what it was 20 years ago, it’s unrecognizable. It really is. And I think that’s part […]

From Illinois Business Journal:  S. M. Wilson & Co., a St. Louis-based construction management and general contracting firm, has promoted Greg Kutz to director of Preconstruction. Since joining the company in 2010, Kutz has been integral to S. M. Wilson’s success. During his time in estimating, he has exemplified true leadership in both the general […]

From KSDK:  The city of St. Louis is working to change dangerous intersections with traffic safety upgrades through a new project called the ‘Principal Arterial Traffic Safety Enhancement Project’. The project will include improvements like pavement resurfacing, lane reconfigurations/reductions, restriping, various ADA improvements, traffic signal retimings and additional shared/protected bicycle facilities. The city says the […]

From Probuilder:  As wages stagnate and housing prices climb, Americans are struggling to purchase homes. According to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), 103.5 million households are unable to afford a median priced home. Additionally, 106,031 households would be priced out if costs were to go up by $1,000. To determine how much Americans […]

From Smart Cities Dive:  Ambitious climate goals are bringing cities and counties face-to-face with a serious reality: the need for carbon dioxide removal. Years ago, those concerned about the impacts of climate change were optimistic that reducing greenhouse gas emissions worldwide would be enough to address the problem. That era has passed. We’ve reached a […]

From Leader Publications:  The replacement of a bridge in Herculaneum and the rehabilitation of a bridge in the Arnold area are among the proposed projects included in the Missouri Department of Transportation’s five-year plan for improvements to roads and bridges maintained by the state, according to a draft MoDOT recently released. According to the draft […]

From Construction Dive:  Construction input prices increased 0.5% in April due to inflation and energy costs, according to a new Associated Builders and Contractors’ analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Producer Price Index data released Tuesday. The jump in April marks an increase in input prices for every month of 2024 so far. Both […]

by Dr. John Gaal Editor’s Note: Each week, Dr. John Gaal, director of worker wellness for the Missouri Works Initiative, a non-profit workforce formed by the Missouri AFL-CIO, collects and comments on news and trends in workforce wellness and life balance. Construction Forum carries the Worker Wellness & Well-Being Blog as a regular feature. The […]

This week Forum drone photographer Louis Kelly of Drone Eagle, LLC captured progress on the $18M Lutheran South High School Center for the Arts. Russell Construction began work just over a year ago on May 3, 2023 on the building, officially named the Darren Jubel Charitable Foundation Center for the Arts. The anticipated completion date […]

From Ladue News:  One of the oldest public golf courses in the country will soon get a much-needed makeover. Situated in the North St. Louis County communities of Bel-Nor, Greendale and Normandie, the Normandie Golf Club is more than a century old and in desperate need of repair. Enter the Metropolitan Amateur Golf Association. Through […]

From NPR:  Residents, businesses and public officials are raising concerns about safety, impeded access to their neighborhoods and other issues due to the April closing of a bridge on 26th Street in East St. Louis. They want the damaged bridge to be repaired and reopened quickly, but word is that it may take months. No […]

From Labor Tribune:  Roofers and Waterproofers Local 2 and its international, the United Union of Roofers Waterproofers and Allied Workers, recently partnered with GAF Roofing Academy to provide roofing and safety training to applicants seeking a career in the commercial roofing industry. GAF is North America’s largest roofing manufacturer. Nationally GAF sponsors roofing training in […]

From Builder Online:  Energy efficient features—and the cost-saving benefits—are expected by today’s new-home buyers. From Energy Star certified appliances to low-E windows, new construction homes are equipped with products and materials that ensure home buyers do not have worry about wasted energy or high utility bills. To gather top tips on ensuring energy efficiency and […]

From Contractor Magazine:  The US Department of Energy (DOE) has finalized Congressionally-mandated energy-efficiency standards for a range of residential water heaters. The new standards are projected to save American households approximately $7.6 billion per year on their energy and water bills, while significantly cutting energy waste and harmful carbon pollution. The final standards for residential […]

From MRN:  At its May 9 meeting, the O’Fallon City Council approved two bills covering voluntary annexation, rezoning and an area plan for the proposed and somewhat controversial 311-home Post Family Subdivision along Hwy. N. The Post Family Subdivision will be across the road from the 896-home Harvest at Hopewell subdivision already under construction in […]

From Webster-Kirkwood Times:  Student athletes on Monday, April 29, joined guests and staff to celebrate the completion of updates to the Kirkwood High School athletic field, including the Frank Czapla Field (soccer), the field hockey/lacrosse field, the Jim Scott Baseball and Softball Complex, and a track and field throwing arena. The project, funded through operating […]