A standing ask, and it closes Nov. 16: ACEC Minnesota is partnering with the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis on a short, confidential survey of how the economy is affecting the construction sector, and the answers feed regional data the Fed and policy makers use. If your firm has not filled it out, it takes a few minutes.
FUNDING Road and bridge funding could fall 13 percent if Congress fails to replace infrastructure law advance appropriations by its Dec. 11 deadline. The Pew Charitable Trusts published that estimate Nov. 3, and says the reduction would land even under a short-term extension of the infrastructure law. Pew puts the law's total for repair, modernization, safety, resilience and asset management of roads and bridges at $326 billion, of which $273 billion, or 83 percent, was formula funding allocated on factors such as population and roadway miles. Bridges drew $40 billion more than under the FAST Act, a 22 percent increase, and eligibility widened to bridges owned by state and local governments instead of only those on the national highway system. Money already committed keeps current work moving. The American Road and Transportation Builders Association counts $300.5 billion in highway and bridge formula funds committed by states to 129,600 new projects through August. The Blatnik Bridge between Duluth, Minnesota, and Superior, Wisconsin, is among the major projects proceeding on previously committed federal funding. The exposure sits in later phases and in work not yet funded. Senate Commerce Committee Democrats, led by ranking member Maria Cantwell, put the advance appropriations at $36.8 billion per year supporting 62,000 projects, and set out what lapses without renewal: the Bridge Formula Program would go to zero, an immediate $5.5 billion reduction in state capacity to replace, rehabilitate and construct highway bridges against 41,000 bridges listed in poor condition; the Mega program would go to zero; Safe Streets and Roads for All would go to zero; and Railroad Crossing Elimination grants would fall from $600 million to zero. The Associated General Contractors of America told Engineering News-Record that chapters report some state transportation departments began scaling back bid lettings over the summer, and declined to identify them. JP Villamizar, head of advisory at GISI Consulting Group and chief growth officer at Hill International, said agencies will make short-term decisions that work against the long-term health of a program, re-scoping projects and reaching for value engineering to hold down anticipated cost. The builders association expects incoming House committee leadership to use the bipartisan BUILD America 250 Act as a foundation.
Sources: Pew Charitable Trusts analysis, republished by Governing, Nov. 5; Senate Commerce Committee Democrats, Chopping Block reports; Engineering News-Record, Nov. 4
POLICY Electric loads above 75 megawatts would carry the full cost of transmission and distribution upgrades upfront under a new Otter Tail Power rate class. The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission put the proposal on its Nov. 19 agenda, docket E017/M-26-211, marked three stars for a complex disputed matter. Otter Tail Power asks to create Large General Service Tier III - High Power Compute for customers with firm demand at or above 75 megawatts, and to restructure Large General Service Tier II on demand and operational criteria below it. The agenda puts 14 questions to the commission. Among them: whether Tier III customers must pay all transmission and distribution upgrade costs through contributions in aid of construction no later than completion of construction; whether to approve a system benefit contribution and a risk adder; whether to set minimum billing, exit fees, term length and pre-service termination terms; whether to require an explanation of how fair market value gets determined in the stranded cost calculation; and whether to require an evaluation matrix that prioritizes loads paired with clean backup, clean energy power purchase agreements or load flexibility. The commission is also asked whether to require compliance filings for loads between 20 and 75 megawatts and for loads deemed system intensive, consistent with its order in the Xcel Energy large-load docket. The same docket item asks whether Otter Tail has complied with Carbon-Free Standard requirements.
WORKFORCE Payrolls added 165,000 jobs in October, and professional, scientific, and technical services took 33,000 of them. The unemployment rate changed little at 4.1 percent. Professional and business services gained 70,000 overall, with administrative and support and waste management and remediation services up 28,000 and management of companies up 9,000. The release lists construction among the major industries where employment showed little change over the month. It carries no heavy and civil engineering construction line. Average hourly earnings rose 14 cents, or 0.4 percent, to $38.00, the largest monthly gain since January, and 3.1 percent over 12 months. Revisions added 84,000 jobs to the two prior months: August went from 133,000 to 186,000 and September from 29,000 to 60,000. Hiring ran well above the 65,000 economists expected, and 421,000 people entered the labor force. Employers have added an average of 86,000 jobs per month this year against 9,700 per month in 2025.
Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Situation, Nov. 6; Associated Press, Nov. 6
PROJECTS Rerouted gas pipeline looping around Pipestone National Monument instead of crossing it now carries a state route permit. The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission voted 4 to 1 on Nov. 5 to grant Magellan Pipeline Company a permit for the route. Magellan cannot start construction until it finishes surveying the approved route for cultural and archaeological sites, work set to begin in April 2027, and the permit requires the company to invite tribal nations to take part and to have tribal monitors on site during construction. Magellan told the commission that the archaeological firm that completed the earlier survey has closed and that it will need to contract with another to finish the work. Commissioner John Tuma said he favored the northwest route partly because it sits downstream of the monument along Pipestone Creek, so a spill would flow away from the pipestone quarries. Commissioner Audrey Partridge cast the lone no vote, saying the routes run too close to the monument. The commission first granted a permit for the same route in 2024 and rescinded it after tribal nations objected, then required Magellan to coordinate with tribal nations on an archaeological study of two separate alternatives. Contractors surveyed both in 2025 and recorded 61 archaeological sites. Tribal leaders urged denial, and Samantha Odegard, tribal historic preservation officer for the Upper Sioux Indian Community, said the survey recorded artifacts but missed the cultural landscape.
Source: MPR News, Nov. 5
POLICY Foreign-produced bulk-power equipment moves to federal rules due Dec. 24. Executive Order 14421, signed Aug. 26 and published Aug. 31 at 91 FR 55995, blocks installation of foreign-produced bulk-power equipment and associated components, software, firmware, digital service, maintenance service or remote-access capability that poses undue risk, and it empowers the Secretary of Energy to require removal and replacement of equipment already installed. The order defines the bulk-power system to take in transmission lines rated at 69,000 volts or more and to exclude local distribution. It allows 120 days from the signing to publish rules, and 180 days for recommended revisions to the Federal Acquisition Regulation with the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council, which falls on Feb. 22, 2027. The Energy Department sought comment in September. In a compilation by the analyst Brendon Shank, most responses that took a position on function against origin favored functional controls, many asked for phased compliance and a vendor prequalification route, and the National Electrical Manufacturers Association said supply chains for many categories of electrical products sit near a breaking point.
Sources: Federal Register, Executive Order 14421; Utility Dive, Nov. 4
FUNDING Twenty-one of 27 local transit measures on the Nov. 3 ballot passed. Five were voted down and one remains undecided, according to the American Public Transportation Association Center for Transportation Excellence. The largest was $14 billion across five San Francisco Bay Area counties, which closes a funding cliff at the regional agencies there. Counting measures voted on earlier in 2026, the center puts the year at 34 of 39 transit measures passed. The instruments on this year's ballots were sales and property taxes, bonds and a parcel tax, and the money covers roadways, safe streets, and bicycle and pedestrian work alongside transit.
ENG Military facility repair and construction move to other transaction agreements under the 2026 defense authorization. The 2026 National Defense Authorization Act added 10 U.S.C. 2808a, which lets the Defense Department use the agreements for planning, design, engineering and prototyping on facility repair and construction projects, alongside the traditional military construction authority. Holland & Knight attorneys Jeremy Burkhart, Gregory Koger and Mike Wakefield note it carries congressional defense committee reporting requirements and differs from the department's prototype authority, and they point to facility modernization at Joint Base Lewis-McChord and an Army Corps of Engineers virtual industry day as early uses. Other transactions sit outside many federal procurement laws and regulations, according to the Congressional Research Service, which also records that the same authorization act allows alternative project contracting methods combining design and construction under one contract, including accelerated and progressive design-build. Separately, an Army military construction reform initiative announced in October targets delivery up to 50 percent faster at 30 percent lower cost through design-build and industrialized methods. Stephen Tobin of Cohen Seglias noted the earlier authority was pilot-only, and Trent Cotney of Adams & Reese called the change significant.
Sources: Holland & Knight, Aug. 14; Congressional Research Service, FY2026 NDAA military construction, Apr. 8; Construction Dive, Nov. 4
BIZ Morrissey Goodale puts its architecture and engineering confidence index at 59.2, down 4 points from the third quarter. All six components of the index stay above 50, the expansion line, and all six fell from the prior quarter, which the consultancy reads as optimism turning cautious and firms moving to a defensive posture to close the year. On deal flow, the U.S. market is on track for an all-time high of 520 transactions, and acquired revenue rose 82 percent to $4.5 billion on 122 domestic deals in the third quarter. Private equity accounted for 61 percent of third-quarter transactions, up from 55 percent, and 221 private-equity-related deals closed in the first nine months, a 23 percent rise over a year earlier. On client behavior, 28 percent of respondents name delayed or canceled project starts as the most significant shift and 24 percent name longer decision timelines, against 3 percent reporting reduced project scopes. On artificial intelligence, 29 percent have a documented, leadership-approved strategy, 38 percent rely on informal leadership guidance, and 27 percent leave the approach to individual employees, teams or offices. Another 32 percent have designated an executive accountable for AI outcomes and 20 percent track performance metrics. Talent recruitment and retention remains the top challenge, with economic volatility and shifting government policy climbing the list. The findings come from a survey of architecture, engineering, and environmental consulting firm leaders.
Source: Morrissey Goodale, AE Industry Quarterly Snapshot Q4 2026, Nov. 5
POLICY Duties on utility-scale wind towers from India, Malaysia, and Spain move toward another five years. The Commerce Department published expedited first sunset review results on Nov. 4 finding that revocation would likely lead to continued or recurring dumping and subsidization. Dumping margins likely to prevail run up to 54.03 percent for India, 3.20 percent for Malaysia and 73.00 percent for Spain. On the countervailing duty side, the net countervailable subsidy rate for Vestas Wind Technology India Private Limited is 2.25 percent, the rate for a group of seven other named producers and exporters is 397.70 percent, and the all-others rate is 2.25 percent. The antidumping orders were published Aug. 16, 2021 for Spain and Dec. 6, 2021 for India and Malaysia, and the countervailing duty order on India issued the same day as the India antidumping order.
Sources: Federal Register, antidumping sunset review, Nov. 4; Federal Register, countervailing duty sunset review, Nov. 4
ENG Porous pavement that resists clogging now rests on an ultrafine powder blended into the portland cement mix. Macro voids in conventional porous concrete, the spaces that absorb water, have clogged and cracked for decades. Spokane-based AquiPor mills its material to an ultrafine powder and blends it with portland cement at the mix stage, which co-founder and chief executive Greg Johnson says hardens the top layer most prone to clogging and breakage while opening narrower absorption paths. The end product takes water in at the surface, detains it, and releases it slowly to the ground. Maximum pore width is 100 nanometers. Because the material is an additive, any volumetric or ready-mix truck can deliver it, and placement follows ordinary paver or continuous-placement practice. Co-founder Matt Russell credits work at Argonne National Laboratory on iron phosphates and says the company patented the steps for using them this way. Johnson says the firm has finished a large project for a private developer in Idaho and is in discussions with Los Angeles, Spokane, and the Washington State Department of Transportation.
Source: Engineering News-Record, Nov. 5
PROJECTS Curved steel space truss canopy spanning 330 feet by 160 feet carried a first season of 41 concerts in Shakopee. ERA Structural Engineering served as structural engineer of record on the 19,000-seat Mystic Lake Amphitheater and designed the canopy, which had to carry Minnesota wind, snow and temperature loading while keeping sight lines open, and which the firm delivered through coordinated structural design and fabrication. The 500,000-square-foot venue was developed and built by Swervo Development Corporation, with Shea, Inc. as architect and Molin Concrete as precast specialty engineer, and it is co-operated and promoted by Live Nation. Structural systems include cast-in-place stadia on grade, precast beer garden risers, post-tensioned lawn and VIP seating, composite buildings with steel joist roofs, a masonry stagehouse with a steel truss roof, and gabion retaining walls. The venue opened June 20 and has now closed a season that drew 500,000 people, 40 percent of them traveling more than 50 miles, with attendees from all 50 states. Oxford Economics and Live Nation put the first-season regional economic impact at $158.2 million. Direct spending was $84.1 million, which Oxford found generated an additional $74.1 million in economic activity, supporting 960 jobs and $13 million in state and local tax revenue. ERA lists a 2026 Minnesota CREDA Award of Excellence for special purpose among the project awards.
Sources: ERA Structural Engineering project profile; Minneapolis/Saint Paul Business Journal, Nov. 5
POLICY EMC Property & Casualty asked a federal court to rule that its coverage does not reach replacement of a 55-foot mechanically stabilized earth wall. The insurer filed Oct. 30 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama, seeking a declaration that commercial general liability coverage does not extend to the wall at the Cantrell Mountain Quarry operated by Vulcan Materials near Uvalde, Texas, which began settling during construction in 2024. ABS Services Inc. of Ridgeland, Mississippi, built it. ABS blames owner-supplied limestone rock asphalt, pointing to bituminous content, consolidation, creep and viscoelastic deformation as the sole cause, and cites federal guidance that a leveling pad is not structural support for a mechanically stabilized earth wall. An expert for Vulcan blames off-center precast panels that raised average bearing pressure from the designed 3.99 ksf to 8.33 ksf, exceeding the leveling pad shear capacity and the bearing capacity of the rock asphalt, compounded by variable weak soils, excessive lift thickness, misplaced geogrid and subgrade improvement design deficiencies. The underlying case was filed in July 2025. Discovery closes Dec. 11, summary-judgment motions are due Jan. 15, and the matter is trial-ready in April 2027.
Informational, not legal advice.
Source: Engineering News-Record, Nov. 5
ENG Non-metropolitan planning area elasticities go to validation at a Nov. 10 advisory committee meeting. The MnDOT greenhouse gas technical advisory committee meets 1pm to 3pm on Tuesday, Nov. 10 in Room G15 of the Transportation Building, 395 John Ireland Boulevard, Saint Paul, with a virtual option. The agenda also covers workshopping of the proposed Highway 36 and Highway 120 assessment, implications of the updated Environmental Protection Agency MOVES model, and public comment. The Legislature established the committee to advise MnDOT on implementing the state greenhouse gas legislation.
Sources: MnDOT greenhouse gas technical advisory committee; MnDOT bulletin, Nov. 3
FUNDING Airport entitlement funds for fiscal 2027 stay unavailable until the following year unless sponsors declare intent by Feb. 26. The Federal Aviation Administration set the national deadline in a notice published Nov. 6, docket FAA-2026-13267, under 49 U.S.C. 47105(f). Every sponsor of an airport receiving an Airport Improvement Program apportionment must notify its FAA Regional Airports Division or Airports District Office in writing for each airport, stating the total amount planned for eligible projects during the fiscal year and confirming which projects in its current capital improvement plan will proceed. The notification covers unused funds from previous years, known as protected carryover. Undeclared apportioned funds get carried over and protected after the date, and stay unavailable to the sponsor until the next fiscal year. State aviation agencies in the State Block Grant Program must notify by the same date, with a plan covering entitlement and state apportionment funds. Entitlement-only grant applications are due on or before April 30, 2027, should rest on construction bids or negotiated agreements, may rest on estimates, and must satisfy pre-grant requirements including environmental review and Buy American.
Source: Federal Register, Nov. 6
PROJECTS Construction inspection and contract administration on the Robert Street reconstruction go out for proposals, due Dec. 1. MnDOT posted the solicitation for State Project 6217-50 on Nov. 5, open to all consultants, with no pre-qualification requirement. The contractor will staff construction inspection and administration, take samples and run tests to the applicable Materials Control Schedule, document the work, negotiate and prepare change orders, and handle final estimates, claim witnessing, original and final cross sections to topography, corrected plans for the final construction record, pay quantity computation and resolution, materials control, and certification. The corridor is a multimodal route serving the West Side and downtown Saint Paul and carries 20,000 daily trips. A companion communications and business outreach contract for the same project, restricted to consultants pre-qualified in communications and public engagement project management, closes Nov. 17.
Source: MnDOT P/T notices
ENG Rehabilitation design at historic rest areas and waysides needs a historic architect who meets Secretary of the Interior qualifications to lead it. MnDOT posted the fiscal 2027 to 2029 solicitation on Nov. 5, due Nov. 24, and limited it to consultants pre-qualified in work type 12.5, historic architect services. The historic roadside property and wayside program completes 3 to 5 state-funded projects per year, most of them Class IV rest areas, some listed on the National Register and some eligible. The scope asks a multi-disciplinary team for design documents and construction administration, and the stated goal is coordinated design, letting support, construction administration, and maintenance planning that improves accessibility, safety and function while preserving historic character.
Source: MnDOT P/T notices
POLICY Second environmental review of the Hermantown data center goes to appeal on statewide-impact grounds. The Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy and Stop the Hermantown Data Center filed in Saint Louis County Court on Nov. 4, claiming the study fails to analyze potential statewide impacts including Minnesota climate goals. The first study was completed in November 2025 and the second released in August 2026. Data center questions appeared on local ballots across ten states on Nov. 3, with opponents prevailing in all but one on preliminary results and Ohio holding the most questions.
ACEC Minnesota’s structural engineering committee meets Tuesday, November 10 at 7:30am, in person or virtual, on the structural design and engineering challenges of the Mystic Lake Amphitheater. The Young Professionals tour the University of Minnesota Main Energy Plant on Tuesday, November 17 at 4:30pm, and sponsorships and registrations open November 24 for the Engineering Excellence Awards Gala, Thursday, February 18 at the McNamara Alumni Center in Minneapolis.
State
MnDOT · active transportation planning and implementation assistance · due Nov. 13
MnDOT · general engineering consultant preconstruction services master contract · due Nov. 17
MnDOT · Greater Minnesota transit technology grant and procurement assistance · due Nov. 24
MnDOT · construction contract administration and inspection, Robert Street · due Dec. 1
MnDOT · spot mobility implementation analysis, Metro District · due Dec. 1
MnDOT · statewide bridge management plans for seven major river crossings · due Dec. 18
Counties
Washington County · final design engineering, County State Aid Highway 13 · due Nov. 6 3pm
Wright County · comprehensive plan update consultant · due Nov. 6 2pm
Saint Louis County · stream mitigation bank development qualifications · due Nov. 10 1pm
Hennepin County · small-area planning and urban design consultant roster · due Nov. 24
Hennepin County · forensic science laboratory operational and space-needs assessment · due Dec. 1
Cities
Golden Valley · parks and recreation long-range planning, Phase II · due Nov. 6 5pm
Hutchinson · Safe Streets and Roads action plan · due Nov. 12 1pm
Dassel · architectural and engineering design, new fire hall · due Nov. 20 2pm
City of Saint Paul · ecological quality improvements across four parks · due Dec. 4 2pm
Federal
U.S. Army Reserve · 88th Readiness Division energy savings performance contract · due Nov. 9 2pm
U.S. Forest Service · minerals support, Superior National Forest · due Nov. 19, 2027
Anticipated
MnDOT Bridge Office · bridge preservation design, SP 2735-212 · verified 10/14/2026
MnDOT Bridge Office · bridge construction manual development · verified 07/30/2026
MnDOT District 1 · final design, TH 65 East Lake pedestrian facility · verified 11/04/2026
MnDOT Metro Area Managers · I-35E spot mobility corridor study · verified 09/23/2026
MnDOT Metro District Project Management · project staging scoping assistance · verified 12/22/2025
MnDOT Metro Rethinking I-94 · environmental impact statement, SP 6282-217 · verified 09/23/2026
Minnesota
MPCA · City of Franklin ravine repair 401 water quality certification · comments close Nov. 9
MPCA · City of Royalton wastewater permit · comments close Nov. 9
MPCA · Erie Pier dredged material management facility wastewater permit · comments close Nov. 9
MPCA · Draft 2026 Packaging Waste and Cost Reduction Act needs assessment · comments close Nov. 13
MPCA · City of Scandia Bliss collector wastewater permit · comments close Nov. 16
MPCA · Western Lake Superior Sanitary District wastewater plant air permit · comments close Nov. 16
MPCA · Draft Church and South Lundsten Lakes TMDL report · comments close Nov. 18
MPCA · Draft Nemadji River watershed WRAPS report update · comments close Nov. 18
MPCA · Draft MS4 municipal stormwater general permit · comments close Nov. 19
MPCA · Pope/Douglas Solid Waste Management air permit · comments close Nov. 19
MPCA · City of Albertville wastewater permit · comments close Nov. 23
MPCA · Palisade wastewater treatment plant permit · comments close Nov. 27
Lime Township · Kasota Stone Lime Township pit expansion EAW · comments close Nov. 30
MPCA · Lake Benton wastewater treatment facility permit · comments close Nov. 30
MPCA · City of Milaca wastewater permit · comments close Dec. 7
MPCA · City of Winona wastewater permit · comments close Dec. 7
MPCA · City of Faribault wastewater permit · comments close Dec. 14
MPCA · City of Cedar Mills wastewater permit · comments close Dec. 22
MPCA · City of Isanti wastewater permit · comments close Dec. 22
MPCA · City of Credit River Territory wastewater permit · comments close Dec. 28
Federal
Postal Service · NEPA implementing procedures revision · comments close Nov. 9
EPA · SW-846 solid waste test methods and TCLP request for information · comments close Nov. 13
NRC · AP1000 design certification renewal · comments close Nov. 13
FCC · NEPA and historic preservation review rules modernization · comments close Nov. 18
MSHA · Refuse piles and impoundment structures information collection · comments close Nov. 20
FAR Council · FAR overhaul Parts 14, 28, 36 and 52 information collection · comments close Nov. 23
NRC · Project Matador AP1000 Units 1-4 draft environmental impact statement · comments close Nov. 23
DRBC · Water code amendments on public water supply use reporting · comments close Dec. 4
FERC · Authorizations for certain activities at LNG plants · comments close Dec. 21
FAA · Passenger facility charge regulations update · comments close Jan. 4, 2027
MARAD · Deepwater port license application processing procedures · comments close Jan. 4, 2027
PHMSA · LNG facility pipeline safety standards update · comments close Jan. 4, 2027
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