Construction Industry News: March 6, 2020

Contractors in US’ coronavirus-affected areas say it’s business as usual

COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, is spreading in parts of the United States. The western region of the country has been hit the hardest, with nine deaths in the Seattle area and 43 cases of infections in California, 26 of those in the San Francisco Bay area.

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Bechtel Named EPC Contractor on Sempra’s Port Arthur LNG Project

On March 3, Sempra Energy and Bechtel Oil, Gas and Chemicals Inc. signed a fixed-price engineering, procurement and construction contract for Sempra’s Port Arthur liquefied natural gas project.

While pricing details of the contract were not disclosed, multiple reports have suggested the Port Arthur LNG project will cost between $8 billion and $9 billion.

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Project Impacts Growing as China Coronavirus Spreads

Fears of the coronavirus in China spreading there and globally are affecting world markets, and the construction industry is bracing for slowing economic growth, at least in the short term.

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8 expert tips for recruiting, retaining women in construction

The U.S.’s historically low unemployment rate has elevated the importance of employee recruitment and retention for construction companies across the country. Human resources experts are relying on a range of best practices to entice the brightest and best workers to consider careers in the industry.

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Contractor allegedly stole trade secrets to underbid on botched NYC bridge armor installation job

The developer of a bridge blast and ballistic protection technology is suing a former employee for more than $40 million in damages for allegedly stealing its trade secrets in order to compete and, in the process, putting the United States’ national security at risk.

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From around the world:

Build an Irish Sea Tunnel, Not a Bridge, To Link Scotland and Northern Ireland, Says Scottish Secretary

The UK government could build a tunnel under the Irish Sea instead of a new bridge linking Scotland with Northern Ireland , Alister Jack , the Scottish secretary, has revealed.

Jack told MSPs on Thursday he had raised the tunnel proposal with Boris Johnson as a cheaper and more weatherproof option than a bridge over the sea.

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