Debt - Senior Notes (Narrative) (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended			3 Months Ended	9 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2012	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2012	Sep. 30, 2013 Unsecured Debt [Member] 4.875% Senior Notes [Member] Senior Notes [Member]	Mar. 31, 2013 Unsecured Debt [Member] 7.625% Senior Notes [Member] Senior Notes [Member]	Sep. 30, 2013 Unsecured Debt [Member] 7.625% Senior Notes [Member] Senior Notes [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Unsecured Debt [Member] 7.625% Senior Notes [Member] Senior Notes [Member]	Sep. 30, 2013 Debt Repurchased [Member] Unsecured Debt [Member] 7.625% Senior Notes [Member] Senior Notes [Member]	Sep. 30, 2013 Debt Redeemed [Member] Unsecured Debt [Member] 7.625% Senior Notes [Member] Senior Notes [Member]	Sep. 30, 2013 Non-Call Redemption [Member] Unsecured Debt [Member] 4.875% Senior Notes [Member] Senior Notes [Member]	Sep. 30, 2013 Equity Claw Redemption [Member] Unsecured Debt [Member] 4.875% Senior Notes [Member] Senior Notes [Member]	Sep. 30, 2013 Maximum [Member] Non-Call Redemption [Member] Unsecured Debt [Member] 4.875% Senior Notes [Member] Senior Notes [Member]	Sep. 30, 2013 Maximum [Member] Equity Claw Redemption [Member] Unsecured Debt [Member] 4.875% Senior Notes [Member] Senior Notes [Member]	Sep. 30, 2013 Minimum [Member] Non-Call Redemption [Member] Unsecured Debt [Member] 4.875% Senior Notes [Member] Senior Notes [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, issuance date					Mar. 18, 2013
Principal amount					$ 400,000,000			$ 150,000,000
Debt instrument, interest rate					4.875%			7.625%
Debt instrument, maturity date					Mar. 15, 2023		Feb. 01, 2017
Debt instrument, payment terms					The 4.875% Senior Notes bear interest at a rate of 4.875% per annum, payable on March 15 and September 15 of each year. Interest payments commenced on September 15, 2013.
Debt instrument, date of first required payment					Sep. 15, 2013
Debt instrument, guarantees					The 4.875% Senior Notes are guaranteed on an unsecured unsubordinated basis by MasTec's direct and indirect 100%-owned domestic subsidiaries that guarantee the Company's credit facility.
Debt instrument, call feature description					The Company has the option to redeem all or a portion of the 4.875% Senior Notes at any time on or after March 15, 2018 at the redemption prices set forth in the indenture that governs the 4.875% Senior Notes (the “4.875% Senior Notes Indenture”) plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to the redemption date.
Debt instrument, earliest call date					Mar. 15, 2018
Debt instrument, redemption description							In connection with the issuance of the 4.875% Senior Notes, the Company repurchased approximately $121.1 million of its 7.625% Senior Notes on March 18, 2013 in a tender offer at a price of 102.792% of the principal amount, which included an early tender payment of $30.00 per $1,000 principal amount of notes tendered. The holders of the tendered 7.625% Senior Notes also received accrued interest from the most recent interest payment date to, but not including, the date of repurchase. In addition, on March 29, 2013, the Company redeemed the remaining outstanding $28.9 million aggregate principal amount of the 7.625% Senior Notes in accordance with their terms at a price of 102.542% of the principal amount plus accrued interest from the most recent interest payment date to, but not including, the date of redemption.				At any time prior to March 15, 2018, the Company may redeem all or a part of the 4.875% Senior Notes at a redemption price equal to 100% of the principal amount of 4.875% Senior Notes redeemed plus an applicable premium, as defined in the 4.875% Senior Notes Indenture, together with accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to the redemption date.	In addition, at any time prior to March 15, 2016, the Company may redeem up to 35% of the principal amount of the 4.875% Senior Notes using the net cash proceeds of one or more sales of the Company's capital stock, as defined in the 4.875% Senior Notes Indenture, at a redemption price of 104.875% of the principal amount, plus accrued and unpaid interest to the redemption date.
Repurchase and redemption of notes, amount			150,000,000	0					121,100,000	28,900,000
Debt instrument, redemption period end date											Mar. 15, 2018	Mar. 15, 2016
Debt instrument, redemption price percentage of principal amount									102.792%	102.542%		104.875%			100.00%
Debt instrument, redemption using proceeds from equity issuance, percentage of principal amount available for redemption													100.00%	35.00%
Debt instrument, restrictive covenants					The 4.875% Senior Notes Indenture, among other things, generally limits the ability of the Company and certain of its subsidiaries, subject to certain exceptions, to (i) incur additional debt and issue preferred stock, (ii) create liens, (iii) pay dividends, acquire shares of capital stock, make payments on subordinated debt or make investments, (iv) place limitations on distributions from certain subsidiaries, (v) issue guarantees, (vi) issue or sell the capital stock of certain subsidiaries, (vii) sell assets, (viii) enter into transactions with affiliates and (ix) effect mergers. The 4.875% Senior Notes Indenture provides for customary events of default, as well as customary remedies upon an event of default, as defined in the 4.875% Senior Notes Indenture, including acceleration of repayment of outstanding amounts.
Deferred financing costs					7,700,000
Loss on extinguishment of debt	0	0	5,624,000	0		5,600,000	5,600,000
Payments for debt extinguishment, call premiums			4,116,000	0			4,100,000
Write-off of unamortized financing costs on redeemed debt			$ 1,508,000	$ 0			$ 1,500,000