Weekly Construction News

July 31 2023

Innovation and Technology, Legislative Affairs, Safety

Another week, another round of breaking construction news. We’ve put together some of the most important updates from the last week, and keep our eye on a few future developments in our weekly construction news report.

The Mountain Valley Pipeline – the target of many a legal battle in recent months – has been given the go ahead to complete construction and begin operation at the end of the year. The project will still be challenged at every turn, but this most recent courtroom victory is a big step forward: https://www.constructiondive.com/news/court-orders-mountain-valley-pipeline-construction-to-halt-in-national-fore/686318/

The EV revolution isn’t going away anytime soon, with battery plants popping up all over the country. Stellantis and Samsung SDI have announced a joint venture to build a second battery plant, with production scheduled to begin in 2027. The new plant (location yet to be announced) will join the under-construction in Kokomo, Indiana as the second such Stellantis facility in the US: https://www.stellantis.com/en/news/press-releases/2023/july/stellantis-samsung-sdi-announce-plans-to-build-second-starplus-energy-gigafactory-in-the-united-states

Battery factories aren’t the only massive projects spreading across the country, as the Kansas City Royals are moving forward with their plans to build a new ballpark district in the area. The projected $2 billion project will provide tremendous opportunity for area contractors to work on what will be the jewel of the city once completed, and reemphasize the enormous amount of work that is out there: https://www.kansascity.com/sports/mlb/kansas-city-royals/article277628198.html

The sweltering heat appears to be going nowhere this summer, and the Biden Administration is taking steps to ensure on-the-job heat hazards are being properly enforced. This process includes increased inspections at construction sites and Hazard Alerts to notify employers of their responsibilities during times of extreme heat: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/dangerous-us-heat-wave-pushes-eastward-capping-globes-record-july-2023-07-27/