During the month of February, a historic winter storm passed through Texas resulting in thousands going without power, water, and plumbing. This occurred due to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) declaring a statewide power generation shortfall and enacted rolling blackouts, even though customers complained there was no power for over 30 hours. construction news

The main difficulty from the storm’s electrical generation mishap has been shutdowns everywhere because of frozen instruments at natural gas, coal, and nuclear plants, limited emergency supplies of natural gas, and frozen wind turbines from the implemented green energy bill. 

After one day, the Texas Department of Transportation urged my drivers to stay off the roads and work remotely. Many contractors had to temporarily pause work and monitor the weather before giving the green light to resume operations. The estimated time many contractors had to stop operations was a week, which caused a massive delay. The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) received many chapter delay reports. The Austin chapter is still unsure when their sewer replacement project will resume, while Gallo Mechanical job sites in Louisiana waited for Texas offices and partners to resume operations. construction news

Supplies being shipped from other states have also caused delays in project timelines. If the site was able to quickly recover from sleet and ice on the job site, the period of remission regarding the supply chain has made returning to projects difficult. Weather days are usually included in contracts of commercial projects, but the freeze cast over a span of a week posed a different set of problems contractors in Texas may not be used to. Rain and wind are the top two concerns for this geographical area. 

Sites themselves also had to be assessed for damage reports. Calls consisted of fallen trees, leading to fencing and building damage. Frozen water lines and backflow preventers were additional issues several sites experienced. Since the weather has been warm for a couple of days, sites also have to determine any bursts in the line and continue suspension until all plumbing issues have been resolved. This results in another problem, as sites now have to compete against each other for plumbing services and/or plumbers who specialize in both commercial and residential plumbing inquires. construction news

With warmer temperatures returning and time passed, companies are starting to recommence operations. Now, contractors are preparing to implement methods to create a more efficient execution to make up for lost time. 

Jerdon Enterprises, L.P. has over three decades of engineering and construction experience to provide the best results for your project. View our portfolio to check out projects we’ve been involved in, as well as our services to see what we can do for you. Have a question regarding employment opportunities or to discuss a potential project, contact us today! construction news