Cities Turn Sewage Into Tap Water as Potable Reuse Goes Mainstream
Potable water reuse is going mainstream as El Paso builds the first U.S. direct-to-distribution plant, turning wastewater into drinking water for drought defense.
All-Electric Building Codes Take Hold in 2026, and Builders Are Adjusting
All-electric building codes took effect in New York and California in 2026, banning gas hookups in most new construction and pushing heat pumps to the default.
Contractor Failures Climb as Thin Margins Meet Higher Costs
Contractor failures and subcontractor defaults are climbing in 2026 as material costs outrun bid prices and squeeze the thin margins that hold projects together.
Rebar-Tying Robots Move Past Pilots and Onto Real Decks
Rebar-tying robots like TyBOT and IronBOT have logged 65+ field deployments and 4M+ ties, cutting deck schedules and injuries on heavy civil jobs.
Sphere Abu Dhabi Awards a $1.7B Build to ALEC, Setting Up the World’s Second Sphere
DCT Abu Dhabi handed ALEC a $1.7B design-procure-build contract for Sphere Abu Dhabi on Yas Island, the world’s second Sphere, targeting Q3 2029.
Army Corps Opens a $2B Pipeline for Military Energy Resilience Work
USACE set up a $2B multiple-award contract for military energy resilience, naming Parsons and Tutor Perini’s PMSI to compete for ERCIP task orders.
Construction Labor Shortage Deepens as Immigration Enforcement Thins the Crews
Contractors need roughly 349,000 net new workers in 2026 as ICE enforcement, retirements, and data center demand collide. A look at the construction labor shortage.
Contractor Revenue Jumped 11.8% to $671B as Data Centers Took Over the Top 400
Top 400 contractor revenue rose 11.8% to $671.4B in 2025, with data center and telecom work driving the gain and the ten biggest firms taking 23% of it.
Airport Construction Races the Clock as the 2026 World Cup Nears
Airport construction is racing fixed deadlines as the 2026 World Cup and new megaterminals from New York to Vietnam push crews toward hard, unmovable open dates.
North America’s Largest Low-Carbon Cement Plant Nears Startup in East Chicago
Ozinga’s East Chicago plant, billed as North America’s largest low-carbon cement facility, nears startup as buyers chase offtake deals to scale the market.
CATL and Stellantis Break Ground on a 4.1 Billion Euro Battery Gigafactory in Zaragoza
CATL and Stellantis broke ground on a 4.1 billion euro LFP battery gigafactory in Zaragoza, Spain, one of Europe’s largest bets on home-built battery supply.
Construction Material Costs Climb Toward a July Tariff Cliff
Construction material costs hit a record this spring, and a July 24 tariff change could push steel, copper, and cement higher. What contractors should expect.
OSHA Renews Its Heat Enforcement Program as the Federal Standard Stalls
OSHA heat enforcement just got renewed for five years even as the federal heat standard sits unfinished. For construction, the citation risk is already here.
Construction Backlog Hit a Three-Year High in May, but the Number Hides a Split
Construction backlog hit a near three-year high of 9.1 months in May, but the gain masks a widening gap between data center contractors and everyone else.
Cities Chase AI Permitting, and HUD Is Helping Pay for It
More cities are adopting AI permitting systems to cut review times, and HUD grants of up to $3M are on the table for local governments that apply by July 13.
Manhattan and AECOM Hunt Will Manage the $1.45B Rebuild of Florida’s ‘Swamp’
A Manhattan and AECOM Hunt team will manage the $1.45B renovation of UF’s Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, the latest billion-dollar college football construction deal.
Google Puts $50M Into Skilled Trades as Data Center Owners Buy Their Own Labor Pipeline
Google’s $50M skilled trades pledge lands a week after Meta’s $115M training academy, as data center owners move to build the construction workforce they need.
McCarthy Hires Palantir to Build Its Own AI, Not Buy Someone Else’s
McCarthy’s multiyear Palantir deal signals a shift in construction AI: big contractors are building their own software instead of renting it from startups.