Commercial
This week's key construction industry news includes: Maryland launches bidding for the Key Bridge demolition, with estimated costs between $50 million and $100 million; Turner Construction's subsidiary Dornan breaks ground on a data center project in Ireland; Zachry Construction secures a contract at San Antonio Airport.
SpaceX plans to invest $100 billion to build its largest spaceport on Pecan Island, Louisiana, for launching reusable Starship spacecraft. The project will include five launch complexes, propellant production facilities, and employee housing, and is expected to create 3,000 direct jobs and 8,100 indirect jobs. Construction is expected to begin in 2027, with a target first flight in 2029.
The San Antonio Spurs announced that Mortenson and Bartlett Cocke General Contractors will jointly manage the construction of their planned downtown arena. The total project cost is $1.3 billion, with funding sources including $311 million from Bexar County, $489 million from the City of San Antonio, and the remainder covered by the team.
In 2026, the construction industry will continue to rely on a few winning sectors, but five major trends—material prices, data center demand, infrastructure funding, manufacturing investment, and the interest rate environment—will determine the success or failure of contractors.
Tesla has filed documents with Texas, planning to invest $10.1 billion to build a solar cell manufacturing plant in Fort Bend County, named "Project Crystal Sun," which will produce photovoltaic cells and assemble solar modules, expected to create 9,712 full-time jobs, and seeking state tax incentives.
According to Lodging Econometrics' Q2 2026 U.S. Construction Pipeline Trend Report, the global hotel construction pipeline reached a record 15,976 projects, approximately 2.4 million guestrooms. The U.S. accounts for 37% of the global project total, followed by China. Brand conversion pipelines and the luxury, upper upscale, and upscale segments all hit historic highs.
This week's construction industry updates: Skanska wins $1.2 billion contract to build four data centers; Amtrak completes first phase of East River tunnel repair and resumes service; Auburn University partners with Air Force to develop modular timber barracks; multiple companies announce executive personnel changes.
This week's construction industry news is dense: Stanley Black & Decker announces a $1 billion investment plan to drive innovation and manufacturing; Jacobs opens a new office in Atlanta and secures a Georgia transportation contract; Cumming Group acquires a New York project management firm; Tutor Perini and Granite each secure new projects.
According to a report released by the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) in July, construction backlog fell sharply month-over-month to its lowest level since January. Contractors' average backlog was 8 months, down 0.8 months from both June and the same period last year. ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu noted that the data center boom masks weakness in other sectors, with small and mid-sized contractors facing particularly severe challenges.
During AECOM's third quarter fiscal 2026 earnings call, the company stated that despite a quarterly net loss due to a $337 million charge from a construction management project, its data center, water, and defense business pipelines continue to expand, and management remains optimistic about infrastructure investment prospects.