Drop in April Construction Input Prices Could Help Stabilize Nonresidential Construction Sector, Says ABC

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Construction input prices fell 4.4% in April from the previous month, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Producer Price Index data. Nonresidential construction input prices declined 4.2% for the month. Among 11 subcategories, nine experienced monthly price declines. All three energy subcategories considered in this release were lower in April, with crude petroleum down 48.9%, unprocessed energy materials down 27.5% and natural gas down 20.4%. The only subcategories that didn’t experience monthly price decreases were plumbing fixtures and fittings, which remained virtually unchanged, and concrete products, which increased 0.1%. “There has been … Read more

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Hospital in England Completes, Opens in Less than 3 Weeks to Respond to Pandemic

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Less than three weeks since BAM Construction and its partners began construction, NHS Nightingale Yorkshire and the Humber opened. Based in Harrogate Convention Centre, located in England, it will provide approximately 500 additional beds for coronavirus patients, if local services need them. The new facility is one of seven Nightingale hospitals to be set up around the country as part of a massive NHS effort to respond to the greatest global health emergency in more than a century. This extra capacity is on top of the 33,000 additional beds freed up across NHS hospitals – the equivalent of building 50 … Read more

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China-Laos Railway Project Pushes through Tunnel

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The Dalong No. 2 tunnel of the China-Laos Railway, being built by Sinohydro Bureau 3 Co, a subsidiary of POWERCHINA, was recently drilled through. This is the third tunnel to complete drilling during the COVID-19 pandemic. The tunnel, located in the Luang Prabang Province in Laos, has a design speed of 160 kilometers per hour and is 2,321 meters long. Officials said the tunnel area is a structurally eroded alpine landform with large terrain relief and a relative height difference of more than 100 meters. The lithology is mainly carboniferous slate with sandstone, marlstone and limestone slate, which developed joint … Read more

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Glasgow’s Scottish Events Campus Transforms into NHS Louisa Jordan Hospital

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Balfour Beatty recently completed the new temporary NHS Scotland Hospital, NHS Louisa Jordan, at Glasgow’s Scottish Events Campus, on behalf of the Scottish Government. Acting as principal contractor, Balfour Beatty completed construction, along with its local supply chain and partner contractors, in just 20 days. The clinical facility, which has been constructed to provide extra patient capacity, will provide 1,036 beds for COVID-19 patients, should NHS Scotland require additional flexibility during the pandemic. Construction included the building of sterile temporary wards, installing and commissioning life-saving oxygen and gas systems, as well as laying 23,000 square meters of vinyl flooring. Balfour … Read more

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Dodge Momentum Index Trips on COVID-19 in April

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The Dodge Momentum Index moved 6 % lower in April to 135.9 (2000=100) from the revised March reading of 144.5. The momentum index, issued by Dodge Data & Analytics, is a monthly measure of the first (or initial) report for nonresidential building projects in planning, which have been shown to lead construction spending for nonresidential buildings by a full year. Both components of the momentum index pulled back during the month – the commercial component fell 7.6%, while the institutional component dropped 3.2%. COVID-19 had a significant negative impact on the economy in April, touching virtually all sectors — including … Read more

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