Cement shortage delaying Michigan construction projects

Cement shortage delaying Michigan construction projects
The reason? 
A shortage of cement, a key component of concrete, is squeezing construction projects in Michigan and across the Great Lakes region.
If a homeowner wanted to get a driveway poured in the coming weeks, he or she might be told to wait a month or longer, said Daniel DeGraaf, who heads the Michigan Concrete Association.
"There are projects that may not get built this year because of this," DeGraaf said.
The cement industry, which provides the binding material for concrete in roads, sidewalks, housing foundations and all kinds of building projects, is in the midst of a "perfect storm," blamed in part on the hangover from last winter, when the Great Lakes nearly froze over completely.
That delayed the start of shipping for the state's cement in the springtime even as the economy was heating up, and an oil boom in North Dakota has tied up freight trains, leading to a logistical nightmare for a slew of companies.
.....Some concrete customers have been told their projects must wait because the Michigan Department of Transportation has first dibs for road construction.