Construction industry strapped despite adding 2,600 jobs in June

Construction outfits in Minnesota added 2,600 jobs in June, continuing a solid run during the summer months that has offset a slight lag earlier in the year.

The additions extend growth in the sector going back to April, according to seasonally adjusted data released Thursday by Minnesota’s Department of Employment and Economic Development. June’s gains pushed total construction jobs to about 110,000 – the most since July 2008.

Read more in Finance & Commerce.

After years of downsizing, big houses make a comeback

Sprawling single-family houses, spurned just a few years ago by buyers, are back. And they’re bigger than ever. For the first time, the average size of a new single-family home built in the United States topped 2,600 square feet in 2014. About a third of the houses built last year were larger than 3,000 square feet.

“You have seen the homes just growing bigger and bigger and bigger,” said Teresa St. Amant, a Twin Cities architectural designer. “There are people that don’t want really huge houses, but the reality is everybody wants a lot in their home, so they tend to creep up in size.”

Read more in the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Construction bids for municipal work going up, up, up

Call it a sign of the times. The lowest bid to construct station platforms for Metro Transit's "A Line," a bus rapid-transit service along Snelling Avenue and Ford Parkway in St. Paul, has come in at $11.5 million -- 45 percent above initial projections.

The original estimate was $8.2 million, said Katie Roth, project manager with Metro Transit's Bus Rapid Transit Small Starts program, which received only two bids.

Read more in the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

The art and science of construction detours in Minnesota

The word “detour” comes from the French, meaning “to turn away” or “change direction.” But it can also mean “evasion” or “excuse,” and as any driver knows, Minnesota’s contracted construction season can be synonymous with frustration.

Though it might seem like a simple matter of erecting orange signs, creating good detours can be maddeningly complex. How long will the road be closed? What kinds of roads are the nearest alternatives? What to do about unpredictable bicycles and pedestrians?

Read more in MinnPost.

Dayton wants $842M in debt-backed public construction projects

Gov. Mark Dayton on Tuesday called for $842 million in  public-oriented construction projects, saying the debt the state would incur to bankroll them is worth the economic jolt it would provide.

"My proposal would put thousands of Minnesotans to work throughout our state," Dayton said at a Capitol news conference, laying out a hefty wishlist that includes money for college campuses, local economic development projects, rail and pipeline safety initiatives, workforce housing, the State Capitol renovation, to replace the visitor center at Fort Snelling and dozens of other projects.

Read more in the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Low Oil Prices to Positively Impact Construction, PCA’s Sullivan Says

Low oil prices will benefit economic growth in the United States and are likely to add 20 to 30 basis points to real GDP growth rates during 2015-2016, said Portland Cement Association chief economist and group vice president Edward Sullivan at the World of Concrete trade show in Las Vegas this week.

Read more.

Minnesota continues to shed construction sector jobs

Jobs in the construction industry continued to fall in December after losing 4,700 jobs in November, according to new data released Thursday by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development.

The loss of 300 additional construction sector jobs in December was a “continued and surprising weakness,” said Steve Hine, research director of DEED’s Labor Market Information Office. December’s decline is on top of revised figures that show 4,700 construction jobs were lost during November — not the 3,500 jobs DEED originally reported.

The heaviest losses came in civil and heavy construction, which Hine said was surprising because the state continues “to see a lot of those heavy construction projects taking place.”

Read more in Finance & Commerce.

Local builders worry about shortage of workers

Nick Bake runs a construction firm in Blaine, and he’s getting a little frustrated as he searches for more workers. He recently hired four entry-level carpenters. He agreed to the wages they asked for - about $14 per hour - plus health insurance, and he was willing to train them.

Read more in the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Why sand is disappearing

An alternate headline for this The New York Times article is "Why Midwest sand and gravel is in high demand." Read the story.

Upper Midwest rail delays now hitting construction industry hard

Add the local construction industry to the list of those who say their business is being hurt by delays due to congestion on the railways. Companies that produce and distribute cement and those that make it into concrete -- along with the home and commercial builders and heavy industrial and highway contractors who place that concrete -- are all experiencing a supply and time crunch.

Read more in the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

Why is health care construction at 7-year high?

If you look out your window and don’t see a clinic or other health care facility under construction, don’t worry — one might be going up near you soon.

That’s an exaggeration, of course, but not a huge one. Health-care-related construction is at a seven-year high in the Twin Cities, with vacancy rates in existing facilities under 10 percent and numerous “on-campus” (in-patient) and “off-campus” (out-patient) projects underway.

Read more in Finance & Commerce.

Making construction equipment run cleaner

Environmental certification programs such as the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) have long focused on making buildings greener. But what about the equipment that helps build the buildings, roads and bridges? That’s where Project Green Fleet comes in.

Read more in Finance & Commerce.

Minnesota leads in efforts to professionalize construction industry

As president of the Saint Paul Building & Construction Trades Council, I am excited about the construction boom our state is experiencing. Several new projects have put our state on the map for major construction cycles.

Read this letter to the editor in MinnPost.

I-35W bridge aging, seven years after collapse

Cracks emerge in concrete girders. A drainage hole on the bridge deck plugged up. Rust showed above piers.

Read more in the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Rochester construction off to strong start

Construction spending in Rochester for the first half of the year has increased strongly from the same period last year. There was $169.5 million in construction, up from $125.3 million in the first six months of 2013.

Read more in the Rochester Post-Bulletin.

Boy caught working on Edina school construction site

The Edina School District and the state Department of Labor are investigating how a boy, thought to be no older than 14, wound up working on a school-expansion construction site — sometimes without protective gear.

Read more in Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal.

April shows bring May flowers . . . and 3,800 construction jobs

The skies may have been crying and the streets flooding Thursday, but the state’s forecast for construction jobs was all sunshine. The construction industry added 3,800 seasonally adjusted jobs from April to May, according to data released Thursday by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development.

Read more in Finance & Commerce.

Kraus-Anderson plans new downtown Minneapolis headquarters

Kraus-Anderson Cos. Inc. plans to consolidate its Twin Cities operations in a new building next to its downtown Minneapolis headquarters, bringing 250 employees under one roof and doubling its downtown workforce.

Read more in the Minneapolis/St. Paul Journal.

Minnesota's construction industry adds 2,700 jobs in March

Unusually severe March weather didn't stop Minnesota's construction industry from rallying and expanding the job gains during the past year, according to the Department of Employment and Economic Development data released Thursday.

Read more in Finance & Commerce.

Construction remains Minnesota's fastest growing jobs sector

Construction employment weathered persistent winter chills in February to hold on to year-over-year gains. The industry added 6,766 jobs between February 2013 and February 2014, an increase of 8.5 percent, according to the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development data released Thursday.

Read more in Finance & Commerce.