Alabama 25 December 4, 2019

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After 20 Years, New Stadium a Reality for Birmingham

By Cindy Riley CEG CORRESPONDENT

Construction of a new open-air stadium that will serve as an investment in Birmingham’s future is finally underway in north central Alabama. Protective Stadium, a $174 million undertaking, is located on an 18-acre site adjacent to the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex (BJCC) north of I-59/20 downtown.

“The stadium project has been part of the conversation in Birmingham for over 20 years,” said Tad Snider, executive director and CEO of the Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center Authority. “The main driver was the reinstatement of the UAB football program. The project changes the overall regional competitiveness as a sports and entertainment destination. You must have both viable venues in your market to be competitive.”

As a multi-use facility, Protective Stadium will be the site of athletic events, music performances and other activities.

The highly anticipated structure, with a 45,000-seat capacity, is part of a $300 million renovation and expansion of the BJCC outlined in a master plan commissioned from Populous architects and released three years ago.

Legacy Arena (as it’s now known) first opened in 1976, hosting a variety of sporting events and concerts.

Renovation/expansion work is expected to be completed in 2022 at a cost of $123 million. Meanwhile at the nearby Sheraton Hotel, crews are renovating 380 rooms on the tower in anticipation of the crowds the stadium will draw.

Protective Stadium is estimated to be completed for the 2021 UAB football season, although the date is subject to change. Snider said the construction is taking place under less than ideal circumstances for his crew.

“It’s not a good time to build,” he said. “It’s the worst possible time. The economy is good, and the construction industry as a whole is very busy. There is a lot of work in the market, and we are having a supply and demand problem.

Materials are expensive and cost is being driven up because of it.”

The stadium will include a field level and event level that holds the back of house and locker rooms.

“Then you come up to the concourse level. We have a mezzanine on one southern side of the stadium and a suite tower, which has club level, two suite levels and a press level.”

Reaction from local residents, so far, has reportedly been positive.

“The Birmingham Community is extremely excited to see see STADIUM page 10

Artist’s rendering of what the finished Protective Stadium would look like on gameday.

Gov. Ivey Awards More Than $30M in ATRIP-II Funds for Bridge, Road Work Gov. Kay Ivey and the Alabama Department of Transportation have announced that more than $30 million in funding is being awarded to cities and counties for various road and bridge projects.

The funding is made available through the Alabama Transportation

Rehabilitation and Improvement Program-II (ATRIP-II), a new program created under the Rebuild Alabama Act. The Rebuild Alabama Act requires ATRIP-II to be an annual program setting aside a minimum of $30 million off the top of ALDOT’s share of new gas tax revenue for projects of local interest

on the state highway system.

“An investment in our roads and bridges is an investment in the future of Alabama,” Gov. Ivey said. “I am proud to see projects resulting from the Rebuild Alabama Act already getting off the ground. Soon, every Alabama see ATRIP-II page 8

Page 2 • December 4, 2019 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • Alabama State Supplement • Construction Equipment Guide

Thompson Tractor Holds Year-End Used Equipment Event Thompson Tractor hosted a used equipment sale event at its Used Equipment Sales Center in Montgomery, Ala., on Nov. 14.

The event provided in-territory customers an opportunity to take advantage of the best selection of machines for this end of year, one-day pricing inventory reduction sale.

Customer Inman Ellis of Coastal Brush Cutting in Daphne, Ala., said he’s been dealing with Thompson Tractor for 15 years or so and drove more than 150 miles to be one of the first buyers at the sale. He said it was well worth the trip.

“Even though we’re a small brush cutting company, Thompson always looks out for us, directs us to their best deals and treats us like we bought a hundred machines from them,” Ellis said. “I needed a machine and I got a really good deal here today.”

“For this event we brought in machines from 11 different locations from all over Alabama and northwest Florida,” said Frank Brasfield, Thompson Tractor used equipment manager. “These are Cat Rental Store, Cat-certified and used machines from our entire inventory with an average machine age of 3-4 years old with 2,000 to 6,000 hours.

Nothing extremely high on the hour meter.

“We have over 110 pieces in the sale discounted anywhere between 15 to 20 percent off our list day-to-day pricing.

Primarily this sale serves to reduce our inventory at yearend and put the machines right back into the hands of buyers in our territory to complete the cycle and regenerate our parts and service business. But mostly, to give our regular customers an opportunity to buy these machines at a much lower price than they would have been able to get earlier in the year. see THOMPSON page 4

Proud new owners of a Cat 299D compact track loader (L-R) are Johnny Jones and Marc Jones of Construction Services in Prattville, Ala., and their Thompson Tractor sales representative, Hardy Traylor.

Some of the staff of W.S. Newell in Montgomery, Ala., came out for lunch and to see what deals could be had. (L-R): Doug Cousins, Blane Mason, Sam Newell, Phillip Turner, Emily Anne Newell of Thompson Tractor, her dad Keith Newell and brother Mitchell Newell.

Construction Equipment Guide • Alabama State Supplement • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • December 4, 2019 • Page 3

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Financing provided d through Volvo Financial Services (VFS) and sub bject to credit approval. Offer available in the U.S., ., and VFS reserves the right to amend or cancel the financing offering at any time. ime.

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Page 4 • December 4, 2019 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • Alabama State Supplement • Construction Equipment Guide

Deep Discounts Available at Thompson’s Year-End Sale THOMPSON from page 2

“There will still be post-event sale pricing until the end of the year,” Brasfield added.

“Not as deeply discounted as this sale event, but still a very good deal.

“We’ve actually been diversifying our inventory. We used to be known for carrying primarily big Cat machines in our used equipment inventory. We’re now carrying a wide range of machine sizes, off brands, attachments, trucks and small rental products.

“This event also serves to bring awareness to this facility as being the Used Equipment Sales Center. Since 2016, this facility has been designated as the centralized point for Thompson Tractor where all trade-ins come in and are put through the shop for a complete analysis of each machine. This Used Equipment Sales Center now has over $6 million in heavy machine inventory and $2.5 million in compact and allied machine inventory.”  CEG

Inman Ellis (L) of Coastal Brush Cutting in Daphne, Ala., and his Thompson Tractor representative, Gulf Region Manager Tobie Sheils, stand in the bucket of Inman’s newly purchased Cat 297D2 compact track loader.

Looking over the attachment inventory before the sale got underway (L-R) are Thompson Tractor sales coordinators Tim Stewart and Cari Gore with their manager, Jim Thompson, who is officially retiring at the end of this year after a 41-year career with Thompson Tractor.

This sale had one of the best used Caterpillar excavator selections in the Southeast.

Discussing the machines and great deals at the event (L-R) are Jarrod Honeycutt, independent contractor based in Jasper, Ala.; Terry King and Jeff Pope of Thompson Tractor; and Dena Honeycutt.

Tommy Riggs and Robby Jasper of the Thompson Parts Solutions division pitched a tent and were exhibiting their used, surplus, rebuilt and reconditioned parts capabilities to the attendees.

Customers rolled in all day to see what kind of deals they could snag on a wide array of offbrands and allied equipment.

Construction Equipment Guide • Alabama State Supplement • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • December 4, 2019 • Page 5

Page 6 • December 4, 2019 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • Alabama State Supplement • Construction Equipment Guide

You work hard all year long. Caterpillar is here to help lighten the load. Our indus tr y-leading equipment is designed with the power and reliabilit y you need to get the job done.

Construction Equipment Guide • Alabama State Supplement • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • December 4, 2019 • Page 7

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*Financing offers valid from October 1, 2019 to January 31, 2020. 0% for 60 months onths finance rate with zero down available only on the following new machines manufactured by Caterpillarr Inc.: Cat mini excavators, compact track loaders, multi terrain loaders, loaders skid steer loaders and compact wheel eel loaders (903-908 models only). 0% for 48 months, plus a 3-year/3000-hour Powertrainn & Hydraulics Equipment Protection Plan with zero do down only on the following new machines manufactured by Caterpillar Inc.: Cat compact wheel loaders (910-914 models only), backho backhoe loaders, small dozers, small wheel loaders and telehandlers. To To be eligible for an Equipment Protection Plan offer er (where applicable), the machine must be financed with Cat Financial. Financ Financing, zero down and publishedd rate terms are subject to credit approval through Cat Financial for customers who qualify. Buyers are not guaranteed uaranteed to qualify. Higher rates may apply for buyers with lower credit rating or qualifications. fications. Offer available only at participating Cat dealer dealers. Flexible payment terms available to those who qualify alify. Offer is available to customers in the USA and Canada only. Offer subject to machine availability. Offer may change without prior notice and additional terms and conditions may apply. Contact your Cat dealer for details. © 2019 Caterpillarr.. All Rights Reserved. CA ATT, CA ATERPILLAR, TERPILLAR, LET’S DO THE WORK, their respective logos, “Caterpillar Yellow”, Y the “Power Edge” and Cat “Modern Hex” trade dress as well as corporate and product identity used herein, are trademarks of Caterpillar and may not be used withoutt permission. www w.cat.com .cat.com / www.caterpillarr.com .com

Page 8 • December 4, 2019 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • Alabama State Supplement • Construction Equipment Guide

Ivey: ATRIP-II ‘An Investment In The Future of Alabama’ ATRIP-II from page 1

citizen will feel the benefits from this additional investment in our infrastructure.”

There were 28 projects selected for funding for a total of $30.13 million from ALDOT.

Applicant City of Gadsden City of Woodville Limestone County

County Etowah Jackson Limestone

City of Madison

Madison

City of Albertville

Marshall

City of Decatur

Morgan

City of Hoover

Jefferson

City of Odenville

St. Clair

City of Springville

St. Clair

Shelby County

Shelby

Alexander City

Tallapoosa

City of Fayette

Fayette

Perry County

Autauga County City of McKenzie

Perry

Autauga Butler

Coffee County

Coffee

Dallas County

Dallas

Elmore County

Elmore

Geneva County

Geneva

Houston County

Dothan

Macon County

Macon

City of Pike Rd

Montgomery

Russell County City of Fairhope

Russell Baldwin

City of Brewton

Escambia

City of Saraland

Mobile

Mobile County City of McIntosh

Mobile Washington

Half of the successful applications from cities and counties put forward local funds, for a total of approximately $9.5 million. However, matching funds was not a requirement to be eligible.

The projects were selected by the ATRIP-II Committee created by the Rebuild Alabama Act. It is anticipated that all projects will be under contract during the 2020 fiscal year, after bids are taken. Projects are required to

ATRIP-II Program List of 2020 Grantees

Project Description Intersection improvements at AL-1/US-278/US-431 and AL-291 (Hood Ave) including reconfiguring lane uses to decrease congestion Acceleration lane at the end of AL-35 onto US-72 Add left turn lanes on US-72 and add/extend right turn lanes on Mooresville Road at the US-72/Mooresville Road intersection Widen, resurface and restripe Wall Triana Highway, widen and resurface Graphics Drive, widen and realign I-565 EB off ramp at Wall Triana Highway Add 250 ft right turn lane on US-431 and 200 ft right turn lane on Edmondson Street at the intersection of US-431 and Edmondson Street Reconfigure traffic signals to aid with left turning movement where AL-67 (Beltline Road) intersects with Veterans Drive, Modaus Road, Sandlin Road and Central Ave Extend existing right turn lane, add turn lanes and acceleration lanes, relocate Mercedes entrance, and widen Riverchase Lorna Shopping Center Driveway at the US-31/AL-150 intersection Widen US-411 from 2 lanes to 3 lanes adding a center left turn lane for 1,300 ft from Council Drive to Burgess Drive Improvements at the intersection of US-11, AL-174 and CR-9 including a traffic signal and turn lanes on all four approaches Bridge replacement and approaches on AL-25 over Waxahatchee Creek (BIN 519) Culvert replacement and additional lane on Airport Drive 400 ft from US-280 over Sugar Creek Widen Northeast and Northwest parts of AL-17/AL-18 intersection to aid with truck turning movements Realign CR-12 at the intersection with AL-5, and turning radius improvements on CR-12 at the intersection with AL-183, add centerline scoring to CR-12 (9 miles) Turn lanes on US-82 at CR-47 (Golson Rd) Add left turn lane to AL-55 at the intersection of South Garland Rd/US-31, and add left turn lane to AL-55/US-31 at the intersection of North Garland Rd Intersection improvements including realigning CR-239 and CR-114 to intersect with AL-167 at right angles Realign and widen AL-41, add turn lane on US-80W, and add acceleration lane on US-80E, at the intersection of AL-41 and US-80 Add turn lanes where Coosada Pkwy and Ingram Rd intersect with AL-14; add or reconfigure lanes at AL-143/Cobbs Ford Rd intersection; study intersection of AL-14/Oak Tree Rd Add left turn lanes on AL-52 and improve turning radius onto CR-69 at the AL-52/CR-69 intersection Add additional lane on US-84 (West Main St) from Flowers Chapel Rd to John D. Odom Rd Add left turn lane on AL-8 (US-80) and a right turn lane on CR-51 at the intersection of AL-8 and CR-51 Intersection improvements to US-231 at the intersections of Merriweather Rd and Trotman Rd including turn lanes, raised medians and vertical curve corrections 980 ft acceleration lane onto US-431 at CR-4 Add turn lanes to CR-44 and upgrade traffic signal at the CR-44/US-98 intersection Close intersection of US-31 and Sowell Rd, convert intersection of US-31 and McClellan St to a 3-way intersection by closing west side of McClellan St Phase 1 to widen AL-158 from 2 lanes to 4 lanes from mile post 7.75 to Spartan Dr Roundabout at AL-188 and Irvington Bayou La Batre Highway Increase turning radius and widen Commerce St and US-43 to improve intersection angles Overall Totals

move forward within two years of the awarding of funds.

For more information about the ATRIP-II Program, visit: https://www.dot.state.al.us/atrip2/.

ATRIP-II Award $917,000.00

Local Funds $0

Total $917,000.00

$1,218,929.05 $1,410,228.88

$0 $0

$1,218,929.05 $1,410,228.88

$1,863,733.41

$210,000.00

$2,073,733.41

$766,172.33

$150,800.00

$916,972.33

$1,790,990.40

$198,998.93

$1,989,989.33

$516,974.00

$243,935.00

$760,909.00

$660,379.00

$134,556.89

$794,935.89

$2,000,000.00

$1,732,700.00

$3,732,700.00

$1,580,650.20

$175,627.80

$1,756,278.00

$1,092,165.00

$0

$1,092,165.00

$934,030.00

$0

$934,030.00

$509,150.00

$0

$509,150.00

$523,946.38 $553,750.59

$0 $0

$523,946.38 $533,750.59

$1,614,226.50

$179,358.50

$1,793,585.00

$1,816,895.00

$0

$1,816,895.00

$1,440,000.00

$160,000.00

$1,600,000.00

$670,304.00

$0

$670,304.00

$2,000,000.00

$2,461,995.00

$4,461,995.00

$436,812.00

$0

$436,812.00

$588,206.45

$0

$588,206.45

$154,787.56 $795,827.84

$0 $198,956.96

$154,787.56 $994,784.80

$733,796.28

$173,681.48

$907,477.76

$2,000,000.00

$2,741,885.95

$4,741,885.95

$1,350,000.00 $200,000.00

$750,000.00 $0

$2,100,000.00 $200,000.00

$30,138,954.87

$9,512,496.51

$39,631,451.38

Construction Equipment Guide • Alabama State Supplement • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • December 4, 2019 • Page 9

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Page 10 • December 4, 2019 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • Alabama State Supplement • Construction Equipment Guide

Protective Stadium Eyes 2021 Football Season for Opening

The two main brands found on-site are Caterpillar and Komatsu. Crew members can be seen on rollers, dump trucks and track hoes, as well as a John Deere tractor because of the materials being used.

Currently, crews are finishing mass grading and bringing in offsite material for capping, which completes the first phase of the rough grading of the future site of the $174M Protective Stadium.

STADIUM from page 1

trucks and track hoes, as well as a John Deere tractor because of the materials being used.

Mills said the field makes for a unique materials element.

“We have two distinctly different primary user types with football and soccer, who have very different expectations and desires for a play surface,” she explained. “We are trying to find a suitable hybrid solution that will satisfy both. If we can figure out how to do this, we will be one of, if not the first, to have solved this problem.”

Snider noted that much like any other construction project, weather has been a factor.

“We were fortunate to have just come out of an extended dry period when we needed it,” he said. “We are, unfortunately, hitting a very wet period now, but it’s at the end of the dirt work. It could have been a lot worse.”

For Mills, the daily snags that must be dealt with are a small price to pay.

“It’s very rare in a career that an engineer would have the opportunity to work on these huge projects. Protective Stadium, Legacy Arena and even the Sheraton renovation are all giant projects. It isn’t often that you have these opportunities, particularly as a female serving in a key role. It shows how far the industry has come. The bridge work is a $700 million project, and the stadium and arena are $300 million, which means you have over a billion dollars of work in a five-year period in downtown Birmingham. That’s huge in our industry.”

Officials are working with several contractors on the project. CS Beatty, Russo and BL Harbert serve as program managers. Populous is the architect.

A formal groundbreaking took place in December 2018 with a small ceremony that featured public and private partners, as well as members of the community. Snider acknowledges that it’s extremely gratifying to see construction moving forward.

“This conversation has been going on since the late 1990s,” he said. “We have venues in the market that have needed reinvestment for a while. Our facility is over 40 years old, and these projects will significantly increase our competitive position in trying to attract sports and entertainment activities to the Magic City.”  CEG

the project move forward,” stated Snider, who added that he’s impressed by how the overall design of the multi-use facility integrates different stadium design disciplines, such as the open concourse.

“We are working to have football and soccer fans enjoy the space, so we have design elements of both incorporated into Protective Stadium.”

Snider said UAB officials have been in close conversation with the BJCC from the beginning, and the team is eager to start playing in the new stadium.

“This is a monumental day for UAB football and the entire city of Birmingham,” said UAB Head Coach Bill Clark. “Protective Stadium is a huge step in our vision of making this program a national contender every single year, and we would like to thank everyone who has made our future home possible. Birmingham is growing together, and adding a world-class stadium in the heart of downtown will provide incredible value for our entire city.”

According to BJCC senior project manager of design and construction Shelia Mills, the new stadium presents its share of challenges.

“From a construction perspective, the site logistics are extremely complex for many reasons, one of which is that we are building in an urban environment,” Mills said. “There was poor soil that we had to haul off, and then haul in better dirt. Of the 100,000 yards of dirt, over a third of it had to go away and be replaced.

“I’m most excited about the use of the steel in the overall design. I love the large masonry block, and the way all these materials tie back to the new and old of Birmingham. We are trying to incorporate and connect all the different phases of our complex. The stadium is going to tie all of that together.”

Some early stadium construction tasks have already been completed.

“Site preparation began in the spring of 2018, with a multi-million-dollar utility move project,” Mills explained.

“While the general contractor has not been hired yet, we went forward with soil stabilization and mass grading of the site to speed things along.

“The site had a good bit of existing infrastructure to be

Protective Stadium is estimated to be completed for the 2021 UAB football season, although the date is subject to change.

removed. You had roadways, curbs, parking lots, you had old retaining walls, deep foundations and a lot of sub subsurface materials that had to be removed.”

Currently, crews are finishing the mass grading and bringing in offsite material for capping, which completes the first phase of the rough grading of the site. Construction milestones include site prep, deep foundations, structure, topping out and the dry-in, followed by finishes such as seats and the field. Workers have significant amounts of concrete to pour before all work is complete.

As for some of the main issues when building a project of this nature, Mills said: “There are lots of concerns. Building in an urban environment is difficult, and so much of what we are doing is weather dependent, from beginning to end. One of the biggest challenges is that we are working so closely with the interstate bridge project. We had to work around road closures and traffic being rerouted through our surface roads. Our four-block site is right alongside the ALDOT 50/29 bridge project.”

Regarding excavation/dirt work, Mills said it was challenging because the materials used were the type that can change according to the weather. The lower bowl of the stadium and the playing field also present unique obstacles of their own.

“Some of the deepest cuts were into the hill on the site, which got us close to some perched water,” Mills explained.

“We have some seepage in the area that causes complexities on the site.”

A variety of earthmoving equipment is required on the job. The two main brands found on-site are Caterpillar and Komatsu. Crew members can be seen on rollers, dump

Construction Equipment Guide • Alabama State Supplement • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • December 4, 2019 • Page 11

Page 12 • December 4, 2019 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • Alabama State Supplement • Construction Equipment Guide

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