Con Dig (10-Sep-26)
Construction Dig’s selective morning scan of the most consequential US construction and development news from the past 24 hours.
USA Rare Earth breaks ground on $1.2bn South Carolina magnet plant
USA Rare Earth has started construction on an approximately $1.2 billion rare-earth metal and permanent-magnet manufacturing complex in Blacksburg, South Carolina. The 124-acre project is expected to span about 800,000 square feet, create roughly 490 jobs and begin commissioning in 2028; Clark Construction Group and Frampton Construction are serving as design-builder through a joint venture, with Trammell Crow Company as developer.
Why it matters: The project is a major advanced-manufacturing build tied directly to the push for a domestic critical-minerals and defense supply chain.
Army awards $581m contract for new explosives manufacturing facility
Nitradyn LLC has won a $581.16 million Army indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract to design, construct and commission a facility to manufacture Insensitive Munition eXplosive-104. The Army lists an estimated completion date of August 9, 2030, with work locations and funding to be determined with individual orders.
Why it matters: It is one of the largest federal industrial-facility construction awards in the latest contracting cycle and adds manufacturing capacity to the US munitions base.
Nevada starts 155-mile transmission upgrade
GridLiance West, a NextEra Energy Transmission subsidiary, has broken ground on roughly 155 miles of new 230-kV and 500-kV transmission lines plus new and upgraded substations in Nevada. The Core Upgrades Project is scheduled for completion in mid-2028 and is expected to support around 500 construction jobs.
Why it matters: Grid capacity is increasingly a gating issue for industrial and data-center development, making large transmission builds a key upstream construction indicator.
Amazon supplier Wiwynn expands $1.6bn Texas server-manufacturing footprint
Amazon and Wiwynn announced a further expansion of Wiwynn’s advanced-manufacturing operation in Socorro, Texas, where the company has invested more than $1.6 billion. The plant makes server systems and racks for Amazon data-center infrastructure and is expected to add nearly 1,000 jobs by the end of 2027, taking employment above 2,500 before ultimately reaching about 4,000 at full capacity.
Why it matters: The expansion shows the construction and manufacturing supply chain forming around hyperscale data-center investment well beyond the data halls themselves.
ARRAY opens $50m-plus Albuquerque solar manufacturing plant
ARRAY Technologies has opened a new 216,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Albuquerque, New Mexico, following an investment of more than $50 million. The plant is roughly three times the size of ARRAY’s previous Albuquerque site and will support about 300 jobs across production, assembly, design and engineering.
Why it matters: The project adds another sizable clean-energy manufacturing facility to the US industrial construction base and expands domestic solar-equipment capacity.
Navy plans Indiana microreactor installation by 2028
The Department of War has announced plans to install a commercially owned and operated advanced nuclear Micro Modular Reactor at Naval Weapons Station Crane in Indiana no later than September 2028. The project is being executed jointly through the Army’s Janus Program, the Navy and other War Department offices to provide resilient on-site power for the installation.
Why it matters: This will be Indiana’s first power-producing reactor and could establish a construction template for future microreactor deployment at US military facilities.
Oklahoma utility dedicates $525m fast-start gas generation project
Grand River Dam Authority has dedicated Unit 4 at its Grand River Energy Center in Oklahoma, marking completion of a $525 million, 426-MW advanced-class natural-gas project. Black & Veatch provided engineering, procurement support and construction leadership, while Mitsubishi Power supplied the J-class combustion turbine.
Why it matters: Large dispatchable generation projects are becoming increasingly important as utilities add capacity to support load growth and balance renewable generation.
Source: American Public Power Association / GRDA project information
Historic Kansas City hotel conversion moves into construction
Flint Development has started construction on the adaptive reuse of the original 1915 Hotel Muehlebach in downtown Kansas City. The long-vacant upper floors will be converted into about 158 apartments, including restoration of the historic Truman Presidential Suite.
Why it matters: The start adds another substantial office-and-hospitality-era adaptive-reuse project to the downtown residential pipeline and illustrates continued demand for conversion opportunities.
Source: Flint Development via Business Wire
Haverkamp starts 387-home Iowa multifamily development
Haverkamp Group has broken ground on The Sloane, a 28-acre residential community in Ankeny, Iowa. The project will deliver 387 apartments, stacked flats and townhomes along with a clubhouse, pool and other amenities.
Why it matters: The project is a meaningful new multifamily start in a growing Midwest market at a time when the national apartment pipeline is becoming increasingly selective.
Chicago completes first LaSalle Street office-to-housing conversion
Chicago has marked completion of the $64.2 million Bellwether Residences at 79 W. Monroe St., the first completed office-to-residential conversion under the city’s LaSalle Street Reimagined initiative. The redevelopment converts the historic Rector Building into downtown housing as the city attempts to reposition underused office stock.
Why it matters: The completion is an important proof point for municipal office-conversion programs being watched by downtown markets across the US.
Source: CBS Chicago, citing City of Chicago officials
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