Tag: data center

Pennsylvania Construction Recap – The Top Stories for the Week Ending May 22, 2026

Please join the KCA in taking a moment this Memorial Day weekend to remember and honor the brave men and women who gave their lives in service to our country. May we carry their legacy forward with gratitude, respect and a commitment to the freedoms they protected.

Here are the top Pennsylvania construction stories this week.

Contractors Relieved by PA Supreme Court Decision in the Clearfield County Case: The case was Clearfield County v. Transystems Corp., involving defects alleged at the Clearfield County jail project that had originally been completed in 1981. Supreme Court of Pennsylvania ruled that Pennsylvania’s 12-year construction statute of repose cannot be bypassed by government entities using the doctrine of nullum tempus (“time does not run against the king”). If the county had won, public owners potentially could have pursued construction claims decades after projects were completed. The Keystone Contractors Association filed an amicus brief supporting the contractors and arguing against extending nullum tempus to statutes of repose. The Court’s opinion specifically acknowledged KCA’s participation along with several industry groups. This week the KCA hosted a seminar on the decision, to watch the video: We Dodged A Bullet, Understanding the PA Supreme Court’s Clearfield County Decision.

AI & Data Center Construction Boom Continues to Dominate: The largest story in Pennsylvania construction remains the surge in AI-driven data center development. State lawmakers are now debating new regulations tied to energy use, utility infrastructure, and clean-energy requirements for hyperscale facilities. Major projects tied to Amazon Web Services and the Homer City redevelopment continue driving huge labor demand across the trades. READ MORE.

Office-to-Residential Conversions Accelerating: Adaptive reuse continues gaining traction across Pennsylvania cities. A 120-year-old office tower in Downtown Pittsburgh is being converted into affordable housing in a $30 million redevelopment project. READ MORE.

Stay Safe, Stay Informed & Keep Building Pennsylvania!

Pennsylvania Construction Recap – The Top Stories for the Week Ending May 15, 2026

Here are the top Pennsylvania construction stories this week:

AI + Data Center Construction Boom Accelerating Across PA: The biggest trend in Pennsylvania construction right now continues to be the explosion of AI-related data center and energy infrastructure projects. The Homer City redevelopment project in Western PA — combining a massive gas-fired power plant with a large-scale data center campus — remains one of the most significant active developments in the state. At the same time, proposed data center campuses in Archbald, Lackawanna County, are triggering intense community opposition over environmental impacts, land use, and infrastructure strain. The debate is becoming a statewide issue as Pennsylvania positions itself as an AI infrastructure hub. READ MORE.

Pressure Builds Around End-of-Session Infrastructure Negotiations in Harrisburg: As the Pennsylvania legislative session enters its final stretch, negotiations continue around a major capital investment and infrastructure package. Industry groups are closely watching whether lawmakers finalize funding mechanisms that could affect public construction, transportation, and economic development projects statewide. READ MORE.

Construction Industry Watching Interest Rates Closely as Mortgage Rates Rise Again: New mortgage-rate data published this week shows borrowing costs moving back upward into the mid-6% range. Pennsylvania builders and developers continue monitoring financing conditions carefully because higher rates could slow portions of the residential and multifamily construction market during peak building season. READ MORE.

Stay Safe, Stay Informed & Keep Building Pennsylvania!

Pennsylvania Construction Recap – The Top Stories for the Week Ending April 3, 2026

Here are the top Pennsylvania construction stories this week:

Massive Power Plant + Data Center Project Moving Forward (Western PA): This is one of the most important construction stories in PA right now, tying energy infrastructure directly to the AI/data center boom: A 4.5-gigawatt natural gas plant + data center campus is under construction in Homer City (Indiana County). Designed to support AI/data center demand, one of the biggest drivers of construction statewide right now. A current update: first structural steel now going vertical; and, there are now 1,200 construction workers on-site (expected to grow to 3,500). The scheduled completion is 2028. Key impact: Adds power capacity while fueling billions in tech-related construction. READ MORE.

Construction Hiring Is Growing—Driven by Data Centers + Infrastructure: Latest U.S. jobs report: Construction added ~30,000 jobs in March. What’s behind it: Data centers + energy + infrastructure projects are a major driver of construction hiring growth. Contractors are competing heavily for: skilled trades; project managers; and electrical specialists. READ MORE.

Amtrak Station Construction Begins in Central PA: Amtrak is starting major renovations at Lewistown Station this week. Work includes: platform upgrades; accessibility improvements; and, modernized passenger facilities. Construction begins April 7, 2026. This reflects a broader trend of transportation infrastructure upgrades across Pennsylvania. READ MORE.

PHOTO CAPTION: This week CSI Lehigh Valley held its annual CSI Expo, one of the most popular construction educational events of the year. KCA was proud to be represented there. In the photo is CSI Board Member Tina Montone and KCA’s Jon O’Brien.

Stay Safe, Stay Informed & Keep Building Pennsylvania!

Pennsylvania Construction Recap – The Top Stories for the Week Ending March 13, 2026

Here are the top Pennsylvania construction stories this week:

Growing Pushback Against Massive Data Center Construction: Plans to build dozens of large data centers across Pennsylvania are drawing increasing public scrutiny. Community groups and environmental advocates are raising concerns about power demand, water consumption, and land use tied to the rapid expansion of AI and cloud infrastructure facilities.

Key details:

  • More than 50 potential data center projects have been proposed statewide.
  • Communities worry about electric grid strain and environmental impacts.
  • Lawmakers from both parties are beginning to weigh regulatory responses.

Construction impact:

  • Potential billions in commercial construction work
  • Large opportunities for MEP contractors, site development, and heavy civil firms

Pushback on Data Center Construction, Read More.

Pennsylvania Funding New EV Charging Construction: The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation announced funding for 12 new electric-vehicle charging station construction projects along major highway corridors.

Details:

  • Part of the federal National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program
  • Builds on $54 million already invested in charging infrastructure statewide
  • 30 stations already built with 53 more in planning or construction.

Construction impact:

  • Electrical contracting work
  • Site preparation and utility upgrades
  • Highway-adjacent commercial development

New EV Charging Construction, Read More.

$45 M Special Education School Building Project Breaks Ground: A $45 million school construction project for students with disabilities recently broke ground in eastern Pennsylvania. The project is funded with KeyBank financing, built by a partnership including Haverford Development Partners and North Star Construction, and expected completion of August 2027, with the school opening that fall. READ MORE.

Stay Safe, Stay Informed & Keep Building Pennsylvania!

Pennsylvania Construction Recap – Top Stories for the Week Ending January 9, 2026

The 1st Construction Weekly Recap of 2026!

Stay Safe, Stay Informed & Keep Building Pennsylvania!

This week’s top stories in Pennsylvania:

Massive Southern Berks Industrial Park Breaks Ground: Construction officially began on the 5.5 million-square-foot Southern Berks Industrial Park in New Morgan Borough, Berks County — one of the largest industrial developments in the state. Phase 1 includes four buildings (~2.65 M sf) scheduled to be complete by late 2026. Expected to create about 450 jobs in Phase 1 and ~2,750 jobs overall. Could generate roughly $2 billion in economic activity and includes a favorable tax abatement incentive (LERTA). READ MORE.

Construction Begins on Silver Spring Logistics Park (Central PA): Rockefeller Group and MBK Real Estate have started building the first two distribution facilities at the Silver Spring Logistics Park near Mechanicsburg — part of a planned ~2 million-square-foot three-building logistics campus. Enhances Pennsylvania’s industrial real estate footprint. Helps absorb demand for distribution and supply-chain space in central Pennsylvania. READ MORE.

Pa. Poised for Continued Data Center & Tech Campus Growth: Pennsylvania’s push to grow data center and tech infrastructure remains a major construction theme — including massive planned projects and site developments: JLL markets a huge data center site in Washington County (1,500 acres targeted for development). These digital infrastructure projects translate into significant construction activity and long-term economic development. READ MORE.

Stay Safe, Stay Informed & Keep Building Pennsylvania!

Pennsylvania Construction Recap – Top Stories for Week ending October 31, 2025

This week’s top stories in Pennsylvania:

Data Center Building Surge & Regulation: Pennsylvania is being positioned as a major data center and AI-infrastructure hub, with private & public investment in the tens of billions. Because of this boom, state legislators have introduced several bills (e.g., the “Data Center Act” and “Data Center Siting & Permitting Act”) to regulate siting, permitting, environmental and community impacts of large data-center builds in Pennsylvania. Key construction-themes: Brownfield & former power-plant sites being reused, requiring remediation; large utility / water / power infrastructure upgrades; workforce & trades implications (lots of construction jobs). READ MORE.

U.S. Government Pledges $80 B to Westinghouse to Build Nuclear Reactors: The U.S. government, together with the owners of Westinghouse, entered into a strategic partnership to construct a new fleet of nuclear reactors worth at least $80 billion. The technology to be used is the Westinghouse AP1000 reactor design (and possibly similar large reactor types). The deal was announced in the context of an energy/industrial push: the administration wants to ramp up U.S. nuclear capacity and meet rising electricity demand (including from large data-centers/AI). READ MORE.

Delays & Freezes on Major Infrastructure/Federal Projects: With funding legislation stalled in the U.S. Senate, the government shutdown is causing certain federal projects to freeze: new solicitations are delayed, contract awards are put on hold because federal agency staff (contracting officers, inspectors) are furloughed or unpaid. Example: About $18 billion in funding pending for two large NYC projects (Hudson Tunnel Project & Second Avenue Subway Phase 2) has been put “on hold” amid the shutdown and related investigations. Example: In Chicago, ~$2.1 billion of federal infrastructure funding was paused, affecting the extension of the Red Line in the city’s South Side. READ MORE.

Stay Safe, Stay informed & Keep Building Pennsylvania!

Pennsylvania Construction Recap – Top Stories for Week Ending October 24, 2025

This week’s top construction stories in Pennsylvania:

Construction, Government & Military Promote Drug Take Back Day: The KCA joined forces with state government agencies and the Department Military & Veterans Affairs to raise awareness for this year’s Drug Take Back Day, which is tomorrow, October 25, 2025. READ MORE.

Big Manufacturing Relocation & HQ Move to Pittsburgh: Eos Energy  Enterprises is committing $353 million to relocate its headquarters to Pittsburgh (North Shore) and expand manufacturing operations in Allegheny County. This is a major industrial / commercial development story: large-scale building/ expansion, new jobs, and sizeable investment in built infrastructure. The HQ will be 40,000 sq ft. The manufacturing expansion is in a 432,000 sq ft facility in Marshall Township, PA. READ MORE.

Data Center Siting Legislation Could Shape Large Commercial Builds: Senate Bill 991, the “Data Center Siting and Permitting Act”, is moving in Pennsylvania and may significantly affect how large-scale data‐center buildings are developed in the state. A “commercial” building sector angle: data centers are large industrial/commercial facilities with high power, cooling and structural build requirements. The draft legislation aims to reduce red tape and attract data‐center investment. READ MORE.

Stay Safe, Stay Informed & Keep Building Pennsylvania