Western Builder

McCoys Creek, which runs through Jacksonville, Florida, to the St. Johns River, flooded neighborhoods in the city for decades. After a few attempts to remediate the flooding with limited success, the city began a drastic improvement measure: the McCoys Creek Restoration Project.

Workplace hazards vary from business to business, but the importance of worker safety should be a shared concern among all employers. For decades, falls have been one of the leading causes of injury and fatality among construction and general industry workers. In fact, nearly 40 percent of all construction fatalities are related to falls from heights, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Approximately 850 workers in the U.S. are killed from falls each year.

JCB North America continues to make significant progress on its $500 million manufacturing facility in San Antonio, Texas. The state-of-the-art facility, located on a 400-acre site, is expected to create 1,500 jobs and will serve as a hub for producing JCB’s telehandlers and mobile elevating work platforms. The project, the single largest investment in the company’s 80-year history, remains on schedule, with hiring set to begin in late-2025 and production launching in mid-2026.

JCB North America continues to make significant progress on its $500 million manufacturing facility in San Antonio, Texas. The state-of-the-art facility, located on a 400-acre site, is expected to create 1,500 jobs and will serve as a hub for producing JCB’s telehandlers and mobile elevating work platforms. The project, the single largest investment in the company’s 80-year history, remains on schedule, with hiring set to begin in late-2025 and production launching in mid-2026.

Falls are the leading cause of injuries and fatalities on construction job sites. Tragically, the number of workplace fall deaths increases nearly every year. If you look at a graph of the figures, it resembles a well-performing stock. But this is no positive trend; these are families losing a loved one to a preventable death.

What will 2026 look like for the construction industry? For your business? We asked industry experts for their thoughts, tips, and cautions for the coming year. According to Dr. Alison Premo Black, Senior Vice President and Chief Economist for the American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA), after a steady year in 2025, the U.S. transportation construction market is expected to grow nearly 3 percent in 2026 to a record $209 billion.

Skid steers and compact track loaders (CTLs) are a familiar presence on nearly every job site — often serving in support roles like material transport, light grading, and post-task cleanup. But in a construction industry increasingly defined by lean crews, fast turnarounds, and escalating versatility demands, it's time to look beyond traditional expectations. These machines are no longer just job site fillers.

JCB North America recently announced a new partnership with the National Hispanic Contractors Association (NAHICA). “The Hispanic contractor community plays a vital role in building America’s infrastructure,” said Marc André Dubois, Vice President Marketing of JCB North America. “Our collaboration with NAHICA reflects JCB’s deep-rooted commitment to empowering diverse entrepreneurs by providing access to the innovative equipment, training, and flexible financing solutions.

Construction sites are full of visible risks — heavy equipment, working at height, electrical hazards. But one of the most dangerous threats isn’t visible at all: ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun. Outdoor workers face a much higher risk of developing skin cancer due to prolonged exposure to UV radiation. In fact, for some types of non-melanoma skin cancer, the risk can be more than 70 percent higher in outdoor jobs like construction, landscaping, and maintenance.

As the construction and roadwork industries face mounting pressure to reduce emissions without compromising productivity, the search for a viable alternative to diesel has taken center stage. Battery-electric equipment has made promising inroads — especially in compact machines and urban environments — but current charging infrastructure and high energy demands can make it less practical for larger, heavy-duty applications.