Huntsville
20 Decatur
State Supplement sponsored by:
231
65
72 Florence
2
72
565 59
43 231
31
5
ALABAMA STATE EDITION
431
Gadsden
78 59
A Supplement to:
Anniston
20
Birmingham Bessemer
82 Tuscaloosa
65 280
20 82 Auburn
80
85
Selma
Phenix City
Montgomery
82 65
231
43 84 431 331
84
THOUSANDS of units in service
84 52 Dothan
31
45
Shipment in 1-3 days
65 98
Mobile
10
®
SAME DAY shipping on parts & tools FULLY SUPPORTED by a 75 YEAR FAMILY BUSINESS
May 23 2018
10% off 10,000 ft. lb. hammers
Vol. XXXI • No. 11
“The Nation’s Best Read Construction Newspaper… Founded in 1957.”
Why pay more?
CALL 800-367-4937
Your Alabama Connection • Rich Olivier, Atlanta, GA • 1-800-409-1479
*On approved credit • Financing Available
By Cindy Riley
New Athens High School Nears Completion
Described as a premier facility that will serve the area for years to come, the new Athens High School in Athens, Ala., is expected to open on schedule this fall. The 285,000 sq. ft. project is located on U.S. Highway 31 next to the Board of Education central office building. “Athens has a long and proud tradition of excellence in education, dating back to 1909,” said Athens City School Superintendent Dr. Trey Holladay. “The new campus is a fitting physical complement that will support the amazing things that happen in our classrooms and community each and every day. It is a source of great pride for our students, teachers, alumni and community.” A five-year capital plan called for building a new high school and moving the middle school students to the existing high school. The project broke ground in the summer of 2016. “Although it was one of the hottest days in August, we had a large crowd present to share in the excitement,” said Holladay. “City and state legislators, alumni, parents, our State Board of Education representative, teachers and staff all joined in the celebration. The project is coming together nicely, even though we battled a great deal of rain in April.” The project, which is nearing completion, is a two-level facility that will offer students modern classroom spaces and updated labs for science, engineering, technology and career technical education programs. Although they are all con-
CEG CORRESPONDENT
Based on current progress, the school is projected to open on-schedule this coming fall.
see SCHOOL page 2
Work Begins on $67.5M I-65 Project in Shelby County By Lori Tobias CEG CORRESPONDENT
Work has begun in Shelby County, Ala., to widen bridges and add lanes to a section of I-65 known for its severe traffic back up in both the morning and evening commutes. The $67.5 million project was awarded as a joint venture to Dunn Construction and Wiregrass Construction and will take place from State Route 3 Interchange (US 31 – Exit 238) in Alabaster to the County Road 52 Interchange (Exit 242) in Pelham. The project is under a tight timeframe with incentives offered for an early completion, said DeJarvis
Leonard, regional engineer of the Alabama Department of Transportation. “Any traffic closures will have to be done at night,” Leonard said. “We want to get them in and out so we can address the issues we currently have. We’re trying to get the lanes open as fast as possible. There is a timetable of Dec. 20, 2019, for the contractor to have all six lanes open to traffic. Every day he gets finished prior to 2019, there is an incentive of $50,000 a day up to $2 million.” It’s hard to tell if the project is currently on time because it has just begun, Leonard said. But as the weather warms, the work will increase significantly.
The Interstate has posed traffic problems for some time. “We’ve had plans moving in that direction, however, we haven’t had the funding,” he said. “It’s just we had to identify this as a priority project. Now funding has become available for us to move forward with the project. We’re utilizing federal funds.” Equipment on site includes track hoes and bulldozers, Leonard said, with more expected as the weather improves and work picks up. “The last task will be to put the down the final surface,” he said. (This story also can be found on Construction Equipment Guide’s website at www.constructionequipmentguide.com.) CEG
Work has begun in Shelby County, Ala., to widen bridges and add lanes to a section of I-65 known for its severe traffic back up in both the morning and evening commutes.