Construction Dive's Friday Punch List series aims to share the week's major construction headlines that contractors may have missed.

In this week's major construction news, U.S. President Donald Trump unveiled a $2.25 billion plan to renovate Dulles International Airport, and the NFL's New York Giants announced upgrades to their headquarters and training facility. Here are other top stories from this week that construction industry executives should know.

Amtrak awards contract for New Jersey bridge

On the same day Amtrak unveiled a $6 billion rail tunnel replacement project near Baltimore, it also outlined progress on another major project along the Northeast Corridor.

Major updates to the Dock Bridge in New Jersey are set to begin before the end of this year. The $242 million project will upgrade a six-track, three-span movable lift bridge and convert it to a fixed-span bridge.

Amtrak awarded the design-bid-build contract for the bridge rehabilitation to Skanska. The Stockholm-based contractor announced earlier this month that it won the $87 million contract. Meanwhile, LiRo-Hill, based in Syosset, New York, won the project management contract to provide oversight and support throughout construction.

The project is partially funded by a $188 million grant from the Federal Railroad Administration, with the remainder covered by NJ Transit, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and Amtrak.

— Zachary Phillips

Sundt completes $34 million dam in Texas

If there were a course in 'Dam Building 101,' professionals at Sundt Construction, based in Tempe, Arizona, could now teach it. The company announced Monday that it completed the $34 million Upper Brushy Creek Water Control and Improvement District Dam 101 project.

Dam 101, located near Round Rock, Texas, north of Austin, is an earthen embankment structure spanning nearly a mile with a clay core and reaching up to 40 feet high. It features a labyrinth spillway with an effective length of 0.6 miles. Sundt won the project in 2023 to reduce flood risk for more than 1,000 residents along approximately 5 miles of Lake Creek.

Sundt self-performed the major scope of work, including 60,000 cubic yards of earthwork excavation and 190,000 cubic yards of zoned embankment construction. The team also installed drainage systems, a 60-inch steel pipe, and multiple concrete structures to ensure the dam's long-term performance.

— Joe Bousquin

Granite subsidiary opens new yard in Memphis

Granite Construction further deepened its 'picks and shovels' strategy this week as its subsidiary, Memphis Stone & Gravel, announced in a press release Tuesday that it opened a new aggregate yard.

The River Yard, a six-acre site on the Mississippi River in Memphis, Tennessee, receives limestone products barged from the Slats Lucas Quarry in Salem, Kentucky. That quarry is owned by Warren Paving, another Granite subsidiary.

This combination strengthens Granite's local market strategy of using its own material plants to supply construction projects within specific regions. According to the press release, the yard officially opened earlier this month. Initial inventory of limestone products includes 610s, No. 8, 810, No. 57, and No. 4 stone.

— Joe Bousquin

NYC begins replacement project for Queens library

A community in Queens is getting an upgrade to its local library. The New York City Department of Design and Construction, along with other project stakeholders, broke ground Monday on the new Queens Douglaston-Little Neck Library. The $40.2 million project includes the design and construction of a new library and the demolition of the existing building, which was built in 1962.

Once completed, the 12,000-square-foot facility will include two floors plus a lower level, providing more space for library services, educational programs, and community gatherings. According to the press release, the building will also include a green roof, rooftop solar panels, all-electric mechanical systems, high-performance building insulation, and enhanced air filtration systems. The library is expected to reopen in summer 2030.

— Matthew Thibault