It appears to be full steam ahead for the Hudson Tunnel Project. There will be a new Hudson River rail tunnel constructed to serve the New York Penn Station and will involve rehabilitating the North River Tunnel.

The Hudson Tunnel Project is a total $16 billion investment to improve New Jersey Transit and Amtrak service between the two neighboring states. The project is funded by the $1.2 trillion infrastructure law, which President Joe Biden signed in 2021.

A $292 million federal grant will get work underway on the Manhattan side of the new Hudson River rail tunnels linking Penn Station to New Jersey, according to Sen. Chuck Schumer.

The grant is almost half of the $600 million cost of building the concrete casing of a box tunnel that will carry trains beneath Hudson Yards in and out of Penn Station as part of the Gateway Program.

This is just one element of the project and will help the multi-year project get off the ground. The tunnels are part of the overall Gateway project, which is estimated to cost $30 billion.

The project also includes new bridges and tracks west of Secaucus. Construction is expected to be done in the 2030s. At the project’s end, there will be four tracks available for trains between Newark and New York.

This project alone will create 72,000 jobs, according to experts. These totals will add to the already existing shortage of qualified construction workers that are needed in the field.

Slips, trips, and falls are among the most threatening hazards that construction workers can face. According to the statistics, about 15 percent of all work-related deaths are from these kinds of incidents. Slips, trips, and falls are expensive to employers as well, costing about $11 billion annually. You need to make sure you know how to prevent a workplace slip, trip, or fall as a construction worker. Here is a closer look.

The 2013 Liberty Mutual Workplace Safety Index reported that falls resulting from slips or trips were the second leading reason for workplace fatalities and injuries. These incidents are just right behind motor vehicle accidents. Slips, trips, and falls are a leading cause of emergency room visits.

Here are some things to keep watch for:

• Loose rugs or mats
• Walking surfaces that are not level
• Poor lighting
• Obstructed views
• Wires and cables that are not covered
• Clutter
• Preventing falls and slips

There are several things that you can do to prevent workplace slips, trips, and falls.

• Clean up as you go, and don’t leave things lying around
• Wear slip-resistant shoes
• Use extra care on uneven surfaces
• Use caution on wet surfaces
• Clean up spills
• Mop or sweep up debris
• Clear walkways
• Cover cables and wires
• Make sure the area is well lit
• Check for fall hazards
• Salt highly traveled areas during winter months
• Clean your work area at the end of the shift
• Be attentive to where you are walking

No construction manager would even attempt to start building the upper floors of a building before its foundation was set. While you may have a lot of flexibility in terms of which areas of the job you want to tackle and when there are certain tasks that must be done before anything else can happen.

How To Improve Your Construction Site

Unfortunately, many job sites become bogged down in delays because the workflows haven’t been properly established and managed. In basic terms, workflow describes the sequence of activities that are needed to get the job done. Without the right processes in place, work can grind to a halt, as crews performing one task must wait for another team to finish a different task.

With that in mind, here are some tips you can use to improve the flow of activity on your site:

1. Use checklists: It sounds simple, but starting with a standardized list of the tasks you need to get done can make certain jobs — such as equipment maintenance and planning — much easier. A list ensures that nothing will be overlooked and there should be fewer surprises once you get started.

• Implement automation: Construction software can handle many of the most tedious and menial parts of the planning and scheduling process, often with greater accuracy than humans with pen and paper. These systems are even capable of generating flowcharts, so you can be certain you’ll have an optimized workflow for your team.

• Find a 3PL partner: Coordinating the delivery of equipment and materials to and from the site is one of the most important and challenging aspects of any project. Working with an experienced third-party logistics provider to handle these steps could not only reduce your workload, but also ensure that you’ll have experts on your side.

• Improve communications: Perhaps the simplest way to improve your workflow is to make sure the lines of communication stay open within your enterprise. In construction, one of the biggest obstacles to success is when teams don’t keep each other in the loop. Building a solid company culture that values teamwork and transparency could help prevent bottlenecks and redundancies from impacting your work in the field.

It takes more than a blueprint to ensure a successful build. Coordinating and streamlining all the activities on your Jobsite requires a bit of foresight and strong internal practices, but the rewards are often well worth the effort. Paying attention to your workflow and taking some steps to enhance it can make you a stronger organization and lead to better overall results.

Senate passed President Biden’s historic $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure plan and the bill has been sent to the House for discussion and a vote. These funds focus on various infrastructure efforts and include $550 billion in new spending with the remaining funds coming from unspent coronavirus relief funds that have already been approved. 

The infrastructure bill offers funds for numerous projects, including $303.5 billion spread across five years for federal highway projects; $40 billion in dedicated resources for bridge rehabilitation, replacement, and repairs; $118 billion to take the Highway Trust Fund out of the general fund of the Treasury; $55 billion for water projects; and funds for passenger and freight rail, rebuilding the electric grid, expansion of broadband internet access, modernization and expansion of transit systems, and building a national network of charging infrastructure for electric vehicles.

Will This Help The Construction Industry?

Since the infrastructure bill funds various infrastructure projects, it could increase construction spending by at least two percent while also driving the volumes and prices for aggregates and cement to higher levels. There has been continued demand for single-housing families, especially since housing inventory is already low. With steady infrastructure spending and continuing lower interest rates, there is continued strength in the construction industry for residential projects.

With a greater demand for residential construction than additional funds for infrastructure, then there will be greater demand for construction workers to take on the projects. There will be an increasing need for skilled and trained heavy equipment operators and workers to handle all the different construction roles. With the additional funding for construction, then the demand for construction workers will increase.

Landscaping covers a variety of roles. It covers a variety of activities that modify the visible features of land, including all living elements, such as fauna and flora. Landscaping incorporates gardening, which involves the art and craft of growing plants with the central focus and goal of creating an attractive landscape.

Landscape Equipment

There are several different kinds of equipment used for landscaping. Examples of landscaping equipment include:

• Tractors
• Augers and bits
• Tillers and cultivators
• Snow removal equipment
• Mowers
• Handheld blowers
• Chainsaws
• Brushcutters
• Weedeaters
• Trimmers and edgers
• Pressure washers
• Generators
• Power tools

The Duties of a Landscaper

A landscaper has a variety of responsibilities. Here are some of those duties:

• Building maintenance and groundskeeping tasks.
• Mow the lawn.
• Trim the lawn’s edges, including around walks, flower beds, and walls.
• Plant flowers, grass, shrubs, and bushes and keep them looking their best.
• Fertilize the ground to enhance growth.
• Apply pesticides to get rid of pests, such as ticks, fleas, wasps, and mosquitoes.
• Shovel snow from walkways and ramps.
• Sprinkle salt to prevent falls.
• Remove snow from parking lots.
• Perform routine maintenance duties, such as fixing fountains and applying plaster as needed.
• Sweeping walkways and porches.
• Blowing leaves off sidewalks and away from structures.
• Cutting down dangerous tree limbs.
• Trim shrubs and plants and pull weeds.
• Perform maintenance and minor repairs to landscaping equipment.
• Install lawn furniture.
• Mulch, prune, and rake around the grounds as needed.
• Install cement, rock, water, lighting, and furniture.
• Water plants and grass.

Training and On-the-Job Experience

To handle the duties of landscaping, you need to get the proper training. There are specialty schools that offer those who want to pursue a career in the landscape field the proper training. ATS offers training for many different career fields. To learn more about the landscaping opportunities available and to register for classes, call one of our friendly representatives today at (800) 383-7364.

Heavy equipment operators are always needed, but those who can operate cranes and other heavy equipment for the oil industry are in great demand. While many heavy equipment operators work a 40-hour week, those who work in the gas and oil industry often must work overtime and rotating shifts.

Those who work in the oil industry might have to work during inclement weather and can expect to be in a remote, noisy, dusty, and dirty work environment. To get a job working with heavy equipment, you must have undergone the proper training and you will need to take all the necessary safety precautions. You will need to wear protective gear that includes steel-toe boots, gloves, hard hats, safety glasses, and hearing protection.

Heavy Equipment Operators in the Oil and Gas Industry

Heavy equipment operators operate different kinds of heavy equipment to grade, excavate, and landscape earth or move equipment and materials. Heavy equipment is needed in the oil and gas industry to maintain roads to oilfields, pipeline right-of-ways, and wellpads while also helping with the mining and reclamation of oil sands.

While there are some heavy equipment operators who can handle several different kinds of equipment, there are those who specialize and focus on one specific machine. Here are some of the typical heavy equipment roles in the oil industry and gas industry:

• Bulldozer operators
• Backhoe operators
• Excavators
• Front-end loaders
• Power shovel operators
• Grader operators
• Heavy haul truckers
• Motor scrapers
• Buggy operators

Those who operate heavy equipment in the oil industry and gas industries are usually responsible for lubricating, refilling fluids, cleaning and maintaining the equipment, and conducting pre-operational inspections on the equipment. Also, some employers may expect heavy equipment operators to perform minor repairs on the equipment they operate.

Training and Experience

To operate heavy machinery in the oil industry and gas industry, the individual must have the proper training. That means you will need to have a high school diploma and heavy equipment operating courses along with on-the-job training. ATS operates a heavy equipment operator training school. To learn more, call (800) 383-7464.

Wisconsin project, Foxconn, plans for a $10 billion plant in Wisconsin may or may not be a go, according to conflicting reports. Some recent reports indicate that the officials in charge of Foxconn might be abandoning the plans for the manufacturing plant and switching the project to a knowledge hub. But, others in charge of the project allege that the original $10 billion project will continue as originally planned.

Reuters reports that more than $200 million has already been invested in the project. Foxconn is a firm based in Taiwan, which originally announced it would make LCD technology products at the new manufacturing facility. However, some officials have said since the original announcement that making the products in the U.S. isn’t economically feasible. The assessment was made based on how much would be needed for the creation of 13,000 manufacturing jobs, which would be in return for promised tax incentives.

The Latest Updates

Foxconn Technology Group CEO Terry Gou notified the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation that Foxconn wouldn’t tap into the hiring incentives for its $10 billion LCD manufacturing facility to be in Mount Pleasant because it hasn’t met the goals that were agreed upon in order to obtain those incentives.

Gou indicated that the company created 1.032 direct jobs during 2018, which included 854 positions in construction, but only 178 of them qualified for the agreed-upon incentive program. The company would have been eligible for as much as $9.5 million in tax credits, according to a report in the Milwaukee Business Journal, if only 260 jobs had been created by Foxconn. The company could potentially get as much as $3 billion in incentives if at least 13,000 full-time positions are created by the manufacturing facility.

Where it Stands

While there has been a setback, Foxconn did report that the construction for the Wisconsin project is progressing on schedule and more than $200 million has been invested in the project. The hired teams thus far have been 95% based in Wisconsin. The crews have moved more than 4 million cubic yards of dirt and they have finished building a 120,000-square-foot building that is multi-purpose. The building construction involved 37 contractors.

During the construction phase, contractors will share space with the company development and research teams in the multipurpose building. Total contract awards were about $14 million. The general contractor is a joint venture of Gilbane Building Co. and M+W Group.

There is a great demand for heavy equipment operators. Heavy equipment operator jobs are positions in the construction industry. These positions include driving, maneuvering, and controlling heavy machinery that is used in the process of constructing a variety of structures, including bridges, roads, and various buildings. Heavy equipment operators work in all kinds of weather, and they can expect to get dusty, muddy, greasy, and dirty. Most people in these roles work full-time, and many of them work overtime. They might have irregular work schedules since many construction projects, especially road construction projects, are done at night.

How to Prepare for a Heavy Equipment Operator Role

If you are interested in finding employment as a heavy equipment operator, you should get the proper training. After having earned a high school diploma or equivalent, you can attend a training school. Overall employment for heavy equipment operators in the construction industry is expected to grow 12% from 2016 to 2026, which comes out to 52,700 new jobs. That is at a much higher rate than the average for all occupations. The increased availability of jobs in the construction industry is expected because of increased spending on infrastructure during the next decade. Those who are trained to work multiple kinds of heavy equipment have the best chance of finding employment and getting the best job opportunities.

The Salary of a Heavy Equipment Operator

Heavy equipment operators can earn a very competitive salary in today’s workforce. As of May 2017, the median annual wage for a construction equipment operator was $46,080 annually or about $22.15 per hour. The annual wages can vary significantly from one state to another, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. For example, New York has 12,520 heavy equipment operators with an average annual salary of $77,580, Pennsylvania has 20,560 heavy equipment operators with an average annual salary of $50,340, and Tennessee has 5,170 heavy equipment operators who earn an average salary of $40,790 per year.

Different Fields That Require Heavy Equipment Operators

There are several different construction fields that need heavy equipment operators. These include utility system construction, state government agencies, local government agencies, specialty trade contractors, building contractors, and highway, street, and bridge construction companies. With the increasing need for heavy equipment operators, it is a great field to consider when making a career move. ATS offers training for heavy equipment operators, including directional drilling, mobile crane operation, and various kinds of equipment including:

• Scrapers
• Motor graders
• Excavators
• All-terrain forklifts
• Backhoes
• Bulldozers
• Wheel loaders
• Excavators
• Articulated dump trucks

To learn more about Associated Training Services, call (800) 383-7364 today.

Federal Judge Blocks Construction of Keystone XL Pipeline

In Montana, a federal judge blocked the $8 billion Keystone XL Pipeline construction so there will be more time to study the environmental impact that the project could have on the area. U.S. District Judge Brian Morris issued the order on November 8, right as TransCanada, which is based in Calgary, was preparing to start construction on the oil pipeline’s first sections in northern Montana. TransCanada and the U.S. Department of State had been sued by environmental groups in Great Falls federal court.

According to the Great Falls Tribune, Judge Morris doesn’t believe that the government didn’t study greenhouse gas emissions fully, how the current oil prices would impact the viability of the pipeline, or include any updated modeling of possible oil spills. The pipeline is designed so it would transport as many as 830,000 barrels of crude oil a day from Alberta, a Canadian province, and areas of Montana to Nebraska-based facilities. The U.S. State Department issued a presidential permit for the construction of the pipeline in 2017. When halting the work, the judge said that the analysis conducted by the state department didn’t meet the federal environmental law standards.

Judge Morris issued the order after some equipment had been making its way through parts of eastern Montana so construction crews could start work. TransCanada Corp., the pipeline owner, is reportedly planning a meeting for Tuesday, November 13, to discuss the project and the judge’s order to halt work. The pipeline is set to be 1,179 miles. The State Department prepared an Environmental Impact Statement in 2014. The Keystone XL pipeline construction is stopped until the department completes a supplement to that study.

Keystone Proposal

The Keystone XL pipeline’s proposal is for it to start in British Columbia’s tar sands and then run through parts of South Dakota and Montana before it connects to the existing pipeline already in Nebraska. The company had hoped to start construction of the Montana portion next spring. The lawsuit was filed by Northern Plains Resource Council based in Billings along with other environmental groups, including North Coast Rivers Alliance and Indigenous Environmental Network.

Glendive farmer Dena Hoff, a member of the Northern Plains Resource Council, issued a written statement that said, “Today’s ruling is a victory for the rule of law, and it’s a victory for common sense stewardship of the land and water upon which we all depend. Despite the best efforts of wealthy, multinational corporations and the powerful politicians who cynically do their bidding, we see that everyday people can still band together and successfully defend their rights.”

A career in construction is a great option, it is in demand, and with so much work being done all around the country, allows you to be a part of what is really an ongoing move to rebuild America for the 21^st century. That is something to be proud of, but when choosing a construction job or new career, you always want to make sure you pick something that offers the most opportunity for the future. In our experience, these are the fastest-growing construction jobs in the country, and they offer the best opportunity for anyone looking to build a new, prosperous career.

Equipment Operators

According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, Equipment Operators are not just in demand now but are expected to see a 12% growth over the next few years, and that means plenty of work for anyone with the right skills. From excavators to bulldozers, skid steers, dump trucks, and any other kind of heavy machinery operators, there are opportunities right across the country.

As new projects of all sizes are launched, and the infrastructure expenditure to refit the country for a new century continues, construction is a healthy industry with a bright future. Within those projects, the machinery operators that shape the sites and perform the work needed for roads, homes, factories, and other building works are required in increasing numbers. Currently, manufacturers are struggling to keep up with the demand for machinery, showing just how much demand there is right now, and every machine needs an operator.

With well-paid work and good conditions, starting a career as an operator is a great choice, with the right training you can begin your new career much faster than you imagine, and start building that lucrative career.

Construction Workers

Just behind operators, with project growth of 11%, construction workers are in demand too. It should not be surprising, because every site needs construction workers to do all those things machines cannot. A skilled worker can dig trenches, mix and pour concrete, assemble components, and so on, the basics of any construction project.

As the industry grows, so does the need for construction workers, and again, with high demand comes increasing wages and a wider choice of sites to work on. A career as a construction worker is a great opportunity, with room for growth both in demand and position, thanks to easy access to high-quality training.

Crane Operators

Finally, crane operators, who while not quite at the growth expectation of the others at a projected 9%, are still in demand, Qualified crane operators are always in demand in all kinds of construction work, from large projects to home building, not only is it a lucrative career, but with so many options, it can be a varied one too.

Choosing a career as a crane operator makes sense, with skills that are always in demand all year round, providing a good, reliable income for the foreseeable future.