Week of September 25, 2023
Department of Transportation Awards $1.4 Billion in Grants to Rail Infrastructure Projects
The Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration announced the grants from the CRISI (Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements) program. The highest amounts were awarded to California, Amtrak, Massachusetts, Virginia, and Washington State.
These most recent DOT grants are funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act which allocated $5 billion in funding over the next five years to CRISI. In the briefing, Secretary Buttigieg noted that there is “a lot more [funding] coming very soon”.
Industry demand for the CRISI grants was high with 234 eligible applications submitted seeking $6.1 billion in funding.
Projects funded by the grants include “upgrading bridges, track, and grade crossings” as well as strengthening railway infrastructure to protect against severe weather and climate change.
Concrete Guidelines for New York State Projects Set to Limit Greenhouse Gas Emissions
New York sets new regulations that limit greenhouse gas emissions from concrete for publicly funded building and transportation projects.
The emissions limits are set to 150% of the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association’s regional baseline, making them more lenient than those determined by the global warming potential benchmark mixes. However, the standards have been supported by the NRMCA and other environmental groups.
According to the NRMCA, the purpose of relaxing the standards is to “encourage more participation and get more data” in the hope of setting more tailored benchmarks for New York by January 2027.
State agency contracts exceeding $1 million using more than 50 yd3 of concrete and New York Department of Transportation contracts exceeding $3 million using more than 200 yd3 of concrete will be affected by the guideline beginning in January 2025.
September 21, 2023
Elridge, a Connecticut-based private equity firm, Brightstar Capital Partners (Brightstar), a New York-based middle market private equity firm, and global investment firm Claure Group, have collectively signed a definitive agreement to acquire a majority stake of Ausenco, an Australia-based global integrated engineering and consulting services provider to the minerals and metals industries and energy transition market, from Resource Capital Fund VI L.P. and other co-investors. The acquisition will allow Ausenco to expand into the Latin American region and continue to develop sustainable energy solutions.
September 22, 2023
Benesch Environmental Group (Benesch), an Illinois-based professional services firm, announced a partnership with Infrastructure Data Solutions (IDS), a Canada-based civil infrastructure management solutions provider. The partnership will allow Benesch to leverage IDS’ Asset Investment Planning (AIP) software to more easily provide clients with risk-based cross-asset comparisons and identify and bundle improvements of multiple asset types.
September 25, 2023
YOUNG & Associates (YA), a New Jersey-based property consulting firm, has acquired IN-Line Consulting, LLC (IN-Line), a Georgia-based national construction consulting firm specializing in property damage restoration and reconstruction recommendations for all phases of construction. The acquisition of IN-Line will broaden YA’s technical capabilities and geographic footprint, particularly in the Southeast United States. YA CEO Wade Bushman stated, “We appreciate IN-Line’s diverse base of technical experts, exceptional customer service track record, shared cultural values, and employee-first workplace model. They are a natural addition to the YA team”.
September 26, 2023
Baseline | DCCM, a Texas-based provider of surveying and mapping services and subsidiary of Binkley & Barfield | DCCM, has acquired Strong Surveying, LLC (Strong Surveying), a Texas-based surveying firm specializing in land boundary surveying, topographic surveying and construction staking for public and private sector clients. The acquisition of Strong Surveying will help to expand DCCM’s surveying capabilities and service offerings.
September 29, 2023
Bowman Consulting Group, Ltd. (Bowman), a Virginia-based consulting firm serving public and private clients across the real estate, energy, infrastructure, and environmental sectors, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Excellence Engineering, LLC (EEI), an Oklahoma-based provider of engineering, procurement, project management and automation services to the petrochemical, hydrogen, industrial and electric vehicle industries. The acquisition will expand Bowman’s suite of services and support long-term strategic objectives in the oil and gas and renewables industries.
Arup marked the 15th anniversary of their Ho Chi Minh City office by participating in acts of kindness and creativity aimed at giving back to the community and nurturing a brighter future for the younger generation. More than 70 Arupians and their family members, in collaboration with the NGO, Sắc Màu, recently transformed two primary schools in remote areas of Vietnam - Thuận Hòa and Bà Tá 2 in Bình Thuận Province. Armed with paintbrushes and buckets of eco-friendly paint, Arup employees revamped the schools' surroundings through environmental conservation works of art. They also conducted a "Plastic Pollution" workshop for students, focusing on educating them about plastic's life cycle and its impacts on the environment, humans, and wildlife. The workshop included interactive sessions and discussions, along with a mini-game about the 3Rs: Reduce-Reuse-Recycle, emphasizing sustainable practices in the attendees' daily lives and their crucial role in helping shape a more sustainable future for Vietnam.
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