Construction Industry News: September 21, 2020

Wildfires force shut down of construction sites in the West

Smoke from unprecedented wildfires across the West has halted construction projects over the past week while slowing others, as California, Oregon and Washington earned the dubious distinction of having the most polluted air on the planet.

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After COVID-19 Delays, Kentucky’s Road Projects Get Green Light

Reduced revenue because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has taken a financial toll on the operation and maintenance of the country’s transportation networks, forcing delays of road projects. Kentucky is no exception.

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Less traffic, faster construction as PennDOT beats the pandemic

After the state shut down in March to ease the virus’ spread and delayed construction about two months, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation District Executive Rich Roman thought finishing some major projects might have to wait until next year. As it turned out, it’s not as many as he thought. In fact, just one project will wait until next year — the replacement of a bridge on Route 93 in Conyngham Borough near Hazleton.

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Brightline shaves almost a year from Florida rail project using precast tunnel system

The $2.7 billion, 170-mile Brightline high-speed rail extension from West Palm Beach, Florida, to Orlando International Airport (OIA) will see the construction of a train tunnel in two weeks instead of almost one year thanks to an innovative box-jack system suggested by general contractor Granite Construction. This is the first time the box-jack system will be used for a train project outside of the Northeast United States.

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