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Deutz Seeks to GDOT’s Islands Close Skills Gap With MFG Day Expressway Bridge On Oct. 2, Deutz Corporation partnered with ResourceMFG, an EmployBridge Company, to host Manufacturing Day (MFG DAY) for approximately 40 students from nearby Jackson County Schools and Lanier Technical College. Created by Founding Partner Fabricators and Manufacturers Association, International in 2012 and now produced by the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), MFG DAY connects the nation’s future workforce with potential employers and presents manufacturing careers in a more positive light. In 2018, 275,000 people participated in nearly 3,000 MFG DAY events across North America. “We were very pleased that these students came out to see our facility,” said Jim Smith, director of production operations for Deutz Corporation. “It was a chance for students in the Pendergrass area to see career options that are innovative and impactful by showing them the exciting work that takes place at Deutz. We look forward to expanding this celebration for next year and connecting with more of the Pendergrass area’s future workforce.” Industry sources say that an estimated two million manufacturing jobs will go unfilled over the next decade due to companies’ inability to find talent with the required skills. Five years ago, several leading industry organizations determined the best way to combat this malady and reverse the negative misperceptions people may have about manufacturing jobs and careers is to literally show them “up close and personal” the exciting work that takes place at plants across the United States. “ResourceMFG is pleased to collaborate with Deutz to close the ongoing skills gap in manufacturing and introduce opportunities to the next generation of blue collar workers,” said Alex Vasquez, division vice president of ResourceMFG. “The MFG Day event at Deutz was a small victory against the gap, and see DEUTZ page 6
Replacement Hits One Year Mark
The Georgia Department of Transportation is investing $58.9 million to demolish the two Causton Bluff Bridges built in 1963 over the Wilmington River along Islands Expressway in Chatham County.
*On approved credit • Financing Available
By Irwin Rapoport CEG CORRESPONDENT
The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) is investing $58.9 million to demolish the two Causton Bluff Bridges built in 1963 over the Wilmington River (Atlantic Intercoastal Waterway) along Islands Expressway (CR 787) in Chatham County. The new bridges to take their place tower 90 ft. into the Savannah skyline and are being built by Florida’s Prince Contracting LLC. The work started in July 2018 and is scheduled for completion by November 2021. The project also calls for roadwork: the intersection at Woodhill Road and Causton Harbor Drive is being reconstructed to meet current GDOT design guidelines, as will the intersection with the entrance to the Frank W. Spencer boat ramp park. “Woodhill and Causton Harbor [are being] reconstructed to tie with the new slightly elevated grade of Islands Expressway at the intersection,” GDOT stated on the project’s web page. “The concrete pipe culverts west of Causton Harbor/Woodhill intersection will be extended to accommodate the widening of the roadway at that location.” GDOT considers the bridges to be “functionally obsolete,” and planning for their replacement began as early as 2011. “The removal of the bridges eliminates the operation costs and reduces the maintenance and required capital improvements, which are anticipated to be less with the new fixed span structures,” said Bryan Czech, GDOT’s District Construction Engineer. “The bridges are opened/closed approximately 4,000 times per year. The frequent openings cause traffic delays, which results in an inconvenience to the traveling public. The proposed project would increase the vertical clearance of the crossing and eliminate the traffic delay and associated lost travel time due to frequent bridge openings.” The maintenance and operation of the bridges are a substantial burden to Chatham County, which is solely responsible for the costs because CR 787 is a county route. GDOT estimates that the annual operation and routine maintenance costs represent approximately 60 percent of the county’s annual bridge budget, which includes having three full-time employees to man them 24 hours per day, year-round. Annual maintenance costs do not include capital expenditures such as the rehabilitation of electrical systems for span motors, lock motors, navigation lights, traffic lights and a console (required every 20 years); steam cleaning and pressure washing (required every five years); replacement of bridge grating; rehabilitating locks and grease fittings (required every five years); and painting (required every 20 years). The new high level, fixed span bridges feature a center continuous span portion utilizing post-tensioning that will span 240 ft. from pier-to-pier, allowing larger boats to navigate the see BRIDGES page 6