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Construction Dive’s Friday Punch List is a series dedicated to sharing major building headlines that contractors may have missed from the week.
This week was another one for the books when it came to construction news. A judge in Minnesota halted the construction of a major data center development, and social media company Meta announced a $115 million investment into the skilled trades to support demand for builds in that very sector.
But that wasn’t the only major news from the week. Read on for more important construction stories.
Turner kicks in 5 stadiums for World Cup
The 2026 FIFA World Cup kicked off at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City Thursday, with the first two matches resulting in wins for Mexico and South Korea.
As the world’s largest sporting event takes North America by storm, Turner Construction highlighted five stadiums it built, renovated or partnered on that are hosting matches:
- SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California
- Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California
- Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia
- Lumen Field in Seattle
- Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri
SoFi Stadium will serve as a flagship venue for the tournament, hosting group-stage and knockout round matches, according to Turner. It will also be a site for the 2028 Olympic Games.
The other venues will each host six matches throughout the 2026 competition. Turner recently upgraded Arrowhead Stadium, including field systems, lighting, locker rooms, infrastructure and seating configurations to meet FIFA requirements, according to its news release.
In total, the World Cup will play out at 11 stadiums across the country. FIFA has changed the names of the venues during the tournament to reflect their host cities. The organization will refer to SoFi, for example, as Los Angeles Stadium during the event.
—Joe Bousquin
AECOM wins Department of Homeland Security infrastructure contract
The Department of Homeland Security selected AECOM to continue providing architecture and engineering services for its critical infrastructure modernization initiatives, according to a Monday news release. The firm has worked for DHS over the last 10 years under previous iterations of the same contract, according to the release.
The contract covers mission-critical renovations and upgrades for government facilities across all 50 states, Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands. AECOM’s scope includes site assessments, studies, facilities planning, alternative analysis, environmental services and design-build documentation for a variety of facility types, including waterfront, aviation, residential and commercial infrastructure, according to the release.
Projects will serve various DHS agencies, including the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Secret Service and the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, according to the release.
“From secure facilities to reliable infrastructure, we are committed to delivering innovative solutions that help protect our nation’s security interests in a rapidly changing world,” said Bane Gaiser, chief executive of AECOM’s Buildings + Places business, in the release.
The Dallas-based contractor did not disclose the contract value.
—Sebastian Obando
New York plans $146M in infrastructure, bridge projects
About $146 million in paving and bridge projects across Long Island in New York will soon start, according to a Sunday news release from Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office.
The largest efforts include a $59.7 million resurfacing project on more than 140 lane miles of Sunrise Highway and a $52.3 million pavement renewal project on the Long Island Expressway in Nassau County. The state also plans to begin a $16 million rehabilitation of three saltwater bridges serving South Shore communities and a $15 million restoration project in Islip, New York, along the Heckscher State Parkway.
The announcement comes as construction teams wrap up an $18.5 million pavement renewal project on the Northern State Parkway ahead of schedule. The completed work resurfaced 50 lane miles in Nassau and Suffolk counties and upgraded pedestrian accessibility along the corridor, according to the release.
—Sebastian Obando
Tutor Perini unit wins $114M higher-ed job
Roy Anderson, a subsidiary of construction giant Tutor Perini, won a $114 million contract to build a new academic building in Mississippi.
The Gulfport, Mississippi-based contractor will erect Jones Hall at the University of Mississippi in Oxford, a four-story, approximately 110,000-square-foot academic facility that will house the school’s accounting department, according to a Tuesday announcement.
When complete, the structure will contain modern classrooms, auditoriums, collaborative learning spaces, faculty and administrative offices and student support areas, per the news release.
Work is expected to commence this month with substantial completion anticipated in December 2028, according to the contractor.
—Matthew Thibault
Bloomberg Philanthropies pours $90M into registered apprenticeships
Bloomberg Philanthropies has pledged $90 million to change how high school students enter registered apprenticeships and pursue careers in the skilled trades, the nonprofit announced Monday.
The initiative, free for students, will launch in nine U.S. cities and states and focus on fields such as electrical work, HVAC, plumbing, welding, construction and carpentry.
The funds will provide coursework and paid on-the-job training for approximately 15,000 students in Boston; Chattanooga, Tennessee; Detroit; Houston; Raleigh, North Carolina; Richmond, Virginia; St. Louis, Missouri; Washington, D.C.; and the state of New Jersey, according to the release. The nonprofit seeks to advance 2,000 students into registered apprenticeships.
“Millions of good-paying jobs are going unfilled, and too many students never get a chance to learn the skills necessary to get them. This new initiative will help change that,” said Michael Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg Philanthropies and former mayor of New York City.
—Zachary Phillips