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Construction Dive’s Friday Punch List is a series dedicated to sharing the top building headlines that contractors may have missed during the week.
This week in construction news, Kiewit was “off ramp” of the reconstruction of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge and the Chicago Transit Authority began building one $5.7 million railroad expansion project.
Read on for other recent construction stories that builders should know about.
McCarthy passes state-of-the-art laser facility
One of the most advanced laser installations in the country reached a major milestone in ColoradoColorado State University announced Monday.
McCarthy Building Cos., based in St. Louis, next door to the university, broke ground on a two-story, 77,626-square-foot structure known as the Advanced Technology Laser Facility for Applications and Science, according to a university announcement. ATLAS facilities are located on the school’s Foothills campus in Fort Collins, Colorado.
The $160 million ATLAS facility, when completed, will house three of the world’s most powerful laser systems and accelerate research into fusion energy and advanced materials characterization, according to the announcement.
The milestone, achieved April 23, followed what the university called a complex structural phase with 590 tons of steel installed in five sequences, according to the news release. This came after pouring 7,355 cubic meters of concrete for the foundation
The ATLAS facility is the result of a public-private partnership between Colorado State University and Marvel Fusion, a fusion energy company based in Germany, according to the announcement. Federal government agencies, including the Departments of Energy and Defense, also assisted in the installation.
— Matthew Thibault
Miami contractor gets new CEOs after 58 years
Miami-based Coastal Construction Group has made a leadership change for the first time in nearly six decades, according to an announcement shared with Construction Dive.
Thomas Murphy Jr., the general contractor’s founder, chairman and CEO, will step down after 58 years to his sons, Tom Murphy and Sean Murphy, to serve as co-CEOs. Thomas Murphy Jr. will continue as president of the executive council. Both sons have served as co-chairs for the past 11 years.
With $1.35 billion in construction revenue by 2024, Coastal construction ranked 89th to Engineering News-Record’s top 400 contractors for 2025. The previous year, the builder was ranked No. 138. The company has a three-year backlog of more than $17.5 billion, the release said.
Coastal Construction specializes in multifamily, hospitality and education projects, according to its website.
—Zachary Phillips
Progress on California Water Tunnel Transportation Work
California Gov. Gavin Newsom celebrated a victory, at least on paper, in the state’s years-long quest to build a 45-mile tunnel under the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to carry water further south.
The Delta Conveyance Project moved closer to reality on April 23, when the Delta Stewardship Council, which is charged with balancing water supply needs and environmental impacts in the region, found the project to be compliant. key requirements of the global Delta Plan for the areaaccording to a news release from Newsom’s office.
“With this project reaching this milestone, we are closer than ever to seeing this important infrastructure completed and benefiting all Californians,” Newsom said in the statement. “Let’s build this.”
Supporters of the project needed the win. The California Supreme Court ruled in early April against Newsom’s plan to issue bonds to build the tunnel, according to the Sacramento Bee. Projected cost estimates range from $20 billion to $60 billion.
—Joe Bousquin
New York launches $30 million highway and bridge projects
Construction will begin soon in over $30 million in highway and bridge improvements across New York state, with projects spanning Franklin, Niagara and Onondaga counties, according to a Sunday news release from Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office.
The work will replace aging bridges and rehabilitate key roads along major travel corridors, according to the release. The slate includes a $10 million project to replace three existing bridges along U.S. Route 11 in Franklin County, as well as an $8.92 million rehabilitation of Transit Road in Niagara County. The project also allocates $11.2 million to Interstate 81 near Syracuse.
—Sebastian Obando
USACE awards AECOM environmental services contract
AECOM got a place aa multi-award environmental services contract with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the Baltimore District, according to a company news release Monday. The award positions the company to offer remedial work linked to the cleanup and mitigation of hazardous sites.
The contract covers work across the country, including the United States, Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico, according to the Dallas-based contractor. AECOM teams will use advanced technologies such as predictive modeling and data collection tools to accelerate field analysis and improve data quality, said Karl Jensen, executive vice president of AECOM’s national government business.
—Sebastian Obando
