Georgia 22, November 3, 2021

State Supplement sponsored by:

441

59

75

Cornella 19

Rome 85 27

Athens

GEORGIA STATE EDITION

A Supplement to:

441

Atlanta

20

Madison Augusta

85

20

Griffin 1

129

Milledgeville

75

La Grange

Macon

301

185 19

16

Dublin

Swainsboro Oak Park

Columbus

Statesboro

341 441 16

Lyons Americus

Savannah

McRae

301

1

Cordele

27 82

Dorchester

341

Cuthbert

75

Albany

84

Douglas Tifton

82

95

82

Blakely

Pearson 27 84

Moultrie

19 319

84

Bainbridge

Valdosta Thomasville

Waycross Brunswick 82

SHIP WITHIN 48 HOURS

1 441

®

SAME DAY PARTS AVAILABILITY 24 HOUR TECHNICAL SUPPORT BACKED BY A 75 YEAR BUSINESS

November 3 2021

Thousands in Service!

Vol. XXIII • No. 22

“The Nation’s Best Read Construction Newspaper… Founded in 1957.”

Affordable Price. Premium Service.

CALL 800-367-4937

Your Georgia Connection: Rich Olivier, Atlanta, GA • 1-800-409-1479

*On approved credit • Financing Available

Recovery Effort

According to officials, a portion of an access road collapsed on Oct. 19 while crews were dismantling the bridge on an access road off Interstate 20 at Exit 88.

Officials Investigating Bridge Collapse in Newtown County

One worker died, and two others were seriously injured late in the afternoon of Oct. 19 when the Access Road bridge in Newton County, Ga., collapsed as they worked to remove part of it for a replacement project.

The fallen bridge ran parallel to Interstate 20 just northwest of Covington.

B&D Concrete Cutting Inc., subcontractors for Georgia Bridge and Concrete in Tucker, Ga., were beginning sawing and demolition activities on the first of four bridge spans on the structure near I-20’s Exit 88 when the incident occurred about 5:30 p.m., according to Caitlin Jett, a spokesperson for the county's sheriff's department. see COLLAPSE page 4

Taxpayers to Save Money in New Road Deal for Fort Gordon When Fort Gordon needs roadwork performed, a new contract now allows Columbia County, Ga., to help pave the way.

The county and the U.S. Army installation, based southwest of Augusta, signed an intergovernmental support agreement Oct. 20 that allows the county to procure “maintenance supplies and services” for the

upkeep of the fort’s 173 mi. of roadways.

“Fort Gordon is very excited about this,” Col. Shaw Pick, the fort’s garrison commander, said to the Augusta Chronicle. “This is our first significant IGSA [Intergovernmental Support Agreement] that’s going to help the Columbia County team, but more so the American taxpayer.

It’s going to save us real money every year in taking care of our roads, and so it’s not that often an installation can reach a mutually supporting agreement with a surrounding municipality.”

The deal creates between 30 percent to 40 percent savings in spending, said Doug Duncan, chair of the Columbia County

board of commissioners.

Fort Gordon’s current standard roadwork requirements cost approximately $1.5 million annually, Pick noted, but with the base humming with new construction, that figure is likely to change.

“We’re jackhammering major roadways see DEAL page 6

Page 2 • November 3, 2021 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • Georgia State Supplement • Construction Equipment Guide

Atlanta, GA 404-696-7210

800-239-2694 | COWIN.COM

Mobile, AL 251-633-4020

Tuscaloosa, AL 205-848-4147

Birmingham, AL Montgomery, AL Pensacola, FL 205-841-6666 334-262-6642 850-479-3004 Madison, AL Oxford, AL 256-350-0006 256-832-5053

Construction Equipment Guide • Georgia State Supplement • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • November 3, 2021 • Page 3

Page 4 • November 3, 2021 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • Georgia State Supplement • Construction Equipment Guide

Crane Recovers Equipment Following Bridge Collapse COLLAPSE from page 1 closure to complete the new bridge.

The bridge reconstruction work began approximately 550 According to the latest reports, federal workplace safety officials are currently investigating the demolition/collapse ft. west of the existing bridge and extends east for about a quarter of a mile. After four years of planning, the 320-ft.incident.

The dead man, identified by WSB-TV as 33-year-old long by 43-ft.-wide bridge is to include two walls along the Atlanta native Demario Battle, and two others fell into the approaches south of the road to minimize impacts to a river pump station and nearby mobile home community.

Yellow River and were submerged, Jett said.

According to the Covington News, The injured were rescued and Access Road is a major east-west route received medical attention, although Jett between downtown Covington and reported to the Covington News that western Newton County and Conyers, their injuries were considered serious. carrying more than 9,000 vehicles per Each of the crew members involved in day. the accident were employed by B&D The existing bridge, built in 1937, Concrete Cutting, based in Atlanta. was classified as "structurally deficient" Jett said that a 500-ton crane arrived and must be replaced, according to the before midnight to recover construction GDOT release. equipment and other debris that also had A bridge is classified as “structurally fallen into the Yellow River. deficient” if either the deck, superstrucThe right lane on I-20 eastbound from ture, substructure or culvert are rated as Exit 88 had reopened a few hours after being in poor or worse condition, the collapse after being closed in according to the American Road & response to the incident. Through traffic Transportation Builders Association on Access Road was already being (ARTBA). detoured onto I-20 and other routes durWSB-TV reported that the project’s ing construction, GDOT announced in a B&D Concrete Cutting Inc., subcontractors for Georgia Bridge objective was to replace the bridge and news release. and Concrete in Tucker, Ga., were Georgia Bridge and Concrete is build- beginning sawing and demolition make other improvements in the area ing the $3.065 million project and, activities on the first of four due to a high number of reported car through a Georgia Department of bridge spans on the structure crashes. The prime contractor had just Transportation (GDOT) spokesperson, near I-20’s Exit 88 when the inci- closed the bridge the day before the collapse for the replacement project.  was planning a 270-day, or nine-month, dent occurred about 5:30 p.m.

A 500-ton crane arrived to recover construction equipment and other debris that also had fallen into the Yellow River.

Airport Building Boom May Result From Infrastructure Dollars Building crews continue to work on a project to expand the North Terminal at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. By the end of 2023, what is now a dusty, noisy construction site will be an expanded terminal featuring five new gates.

And with more than $600 million included for Georgia airports in the federal infrastructure bill, construction at the airport is likely to become commonplace.

Balram Bheodari, the general manager at the Atlanta airport, recently told WABE-FM that Georgia’s share of the money will be used not only for upgrading the airport, but

further expanding it as well.

As he spoke at the construction site, he also noted that projects currently are under way to widen Concourse D, modernize Concourse C and expand Concourse T. Work also is ongoing to upgrade parking and cargo areas.

Flanked by dozens of workers in hard hats, Bheodari and Georgia U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff toured the North Terminal construction in late August before addressing the media. Ossoff said federal spending on airport upgrades will mean more construction jobs, and the ability to move even more

City of Atlanta DOA rendering

The joint venture of Skanska, New South Construction, FS360 and Synergy Construction were selected for $124.5 million Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport Concourse T-north extension.

goods in and out of the state. He cited the Atlanta airport and the Port of Savannah as being among “the premier logistics hubs” in the United States and the world.

The $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill passed the U.S Senate on Sept. 9, while the U.S. House is moving closer to giving it the green light.

“This was Democrats and Republicans under President Biden’s leadership coming together to get something done for the country, bigger than political party,” Ossoff said in his remarks to the Atlanta radio station.

Concourse T North Extension Currently Being Built Without waiting on funds from the infrastructure bill, one of the projects already under way at the Atlanta airport is a $124.5 million plan to add five additional passenger gates to Concourse T, which encompassed 17 gates prior to the work.

The building effort is a joint venture of Skanska, Atlanta’s New South Construction, FS360 in Sandy Springs, Ga., and Synergy Construction Inc., based in Chicago. The JV has been working since late last year on the project, located at the north end of Concourse T.

In addition, the contractors and engineers are rebuilding a major portion of the North Terminal exit road, constructing a Delta Airlines ground support equipment facility and a fire station, and overseeing relocations to the utilities’ infrastructure.

The effort is just a part of ATLNext, a much larger expansion and renovation plan at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson designed to increase capacity, renew and replace existing facilities, and enhance the airport’s aesthetics.

“We are proud to support the effort to help secure Hartsfield-Jackson’s position as the busiest and most efficient airport in the world,” Scott Cannon, executive vice-president of Skanska’s building operations in Georgia and South Carolina, said in a statement. “The Concourse T North Extension and renovation effort will enhance the level of customer service, while meeting passengers’ changing needs.”

Crews began site preparation, which included demolishing and relocating older infrastructure to make way for the expansion, prior to the new concourse’s groundbreaking last January. The joint venture expects to complete the airport project in December 2022. 

Construction Equipment Guide • Georgia State Supplement • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • November 3, 2021 • Page 5

Page 6 • November 3, 2021 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • Georgia State Supplement • Construction Equipment Guide

Coastal Spaceport Construction Awaits Federal Approval Spaceport Camden, a public-private company aiming to build a world class launch facility at a site along Georgia’s coast, is awaiting a decision from the federal government on whether to permit construction of a launchpad for commercial rockets.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) plans to issue a decision on Spaceport Camden by Nov. 3 “due to ongoing consultation efforts,” agency spokesperson Steve Kulm said in a statement. Previously, the FAA had said it intended to make a final determination on the project by the end of July, then shifted its target date to the end of September.

Camden County in Georgia’s southeast corner has spent nine years and $10 million seeking permission to build what would be the nation’s 13th licensed commercial spaceport.

The Associated Press reported that the proposal took a big step forward in June, when the FAA issued an environmental impact study (EIS) that concluded building the spaceport would be its “preferred alternative.”

But pushback on the plan came immediately from other federal agencies: the National Park Service (NPS) and its parent agency, the U.S. Department of the Interior. They dispute the FAA’s conclusion that the spaceport poses minimal risks or adverse impacts to nearby Cumberland Island, a federally protected wilderness that lies along the proposed flight path for rockets 5 mi. east of the proposed launch site.

According to the AP, in a July 22 letter to the FAA, the Interior Department said a chance of rockets exploding and raining fiery debris onto the island creates an “unacceptable risk.” Known for wild horses and nesting sea turtles, Cumberland Island draws approximately 60,000 visitors each year.

Local officials say Camden County’s 55,000 residents would get a large economic boost by joining the commercial space race, with a private launch pad luring both supporting

industries and tourists.

It is not clear how much weight the objections will carry with the FAA, which is responsible for licensing U.S. commercial rocket launch sites. In 2014, the agency approved SpaceX’s launch site in Texas over objections by NPS and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Spaceport Camden Faces Several Hurdles Delays have been the norm for the Camden County-led project, which plans to launch small rockets from a former industrial site on the marsh in the unincorporated county. The commercial rockets’ trajectory over the Cumberland Island National Seashore is not only a huge sticking point for the NPS, but for its residents too.

The Current, a news service covering Savannah and coastal Georgia, reported in early October that Spaceport Camden and the county had planned to launch medium-sized rockets but, after public backlash, switched to requesting an operator license for a launch facility to send small rockets into space. That would mean launch vehicles weighing 3,300 lbs. or less, about the size of a small car that seats four people.

Still, despite concerns that smaller rockets fail at higher rates, federal regulators declined to perform a supplemental analysis and instead issued a final EIS in June, basing it on an analysis of a rocket that does not yet exist launched at a single trajectory of 100 degrees, according to The Current.

Spaceport critics say that may help Camden County get its site operator’s license, but it is unlikely any rocket company will clear a second regulatory hurdle and obtain a permit to launch from the coastal site. A recent article in The Verge quoted Rocket Lab CEO Peter Beck saying he would not even attempt to launch from Camden with his Electron rocket, the closest thing to the theoretical one used in the FAA’s analysis.

“We have a very deep commitment to public safety here, so we certainly would not ever endanger the public in that way. It’s just...not cool,” he said in the article. “But, I mean, there’s just no way that the FAA would agree to that. I just can’t imagine how that would ever happen.”

Marsh As Debris Field Is Questioned On Sept. 27, the Little Cumberland Island Homes Association, which represents the island’s 48 homeowners, sent its latest letter to the FAA. In it, Kevin Lang, an attorney, and the vice president of the association, wrote that Spaceport Camden’s launch site is “too small.”

The Current noted that Lang told the FAA that the facility must be big enough that any debris from a failed launch would land on the spaceport’s property, or land the spaceport has permission to use. For a small rocket, that is a circular area around the launch pad with a radius of more than a mile.

But within that circle around the proposed launch pad, much of the property belongs to the state.

“The debris dispersion radius for the proposed spaceport includes over 2,000 acres of salt marsh that is owned by the state of Georgia,” Lang wrote in the letter. “It also includes approximately 770 acres of the Satilla River and tidal creeks, which are navigable waterways owned by Georgia. We have previously brought this fact to the FAA’s attention.”

According to The Current, Spaceport Camden’s property does not have a king’s grant associated with it, meaning it is not privately held, and the state has not leased it.

“There is no evidence in the record that the state of Georgia has entered into any such agreement or given Camden County or the FAA any type of commitment to do so,” Lang wrote.

Spaceport Camden is headquartered in the town of Woodbine in Camden County. On its website, the company described its mission as becoming “the premier commercial spaceport strategically positioned to provide economic diversity with a competitive advantage for the space sector, Camden County, the state of Georgia and the United States of America.” 

Deal Will Help Meet Goal to Improve Current Infrastructure DEAL from page 1

to build new buildings on the base, so that may result in some increased requirements, [along with] increased savings,” he said.

The IGA is the result of three years of negotiations between the county and the fort.

The Chronicle reported the agreement makes sense owing to the county’s extensive experience in the past several years with Georgia’s Transportation Investment Act (TIA), and its accordant need to procure roadwork contracts, Duncan said. With such a network already in place for the county, the fort’s reliance on the same network is expected to realize savings through the economy of scale.

“Columbia County is uniquely positioned because we’re going to spend and have spent, what, a half-billion dollars on roads in the last five, six, seven years,” he explained.

“Plus, with TIA 2 coming, we’re uniquely positioned to be able to assist Fort Gordon

because we have the staff, and we have the setup to provide these services.”

The federal government formally codified IGSAs in 2013. While Oct. 20’s agreement marks a major first between the fort and Columbia County, such public-public partnerships are not new to the U.S. military nor to Fort Gordon.

In 2006, the installation outsourced its electrical system to Georgia Power Co. to fund system upgrades and service improvements. In 2008, the base and the city of Augusta reached a deal for the city to provide water and later sewage-treatment services to the base.

New Building Coming to Fort Gordon Even during the pandemic, Fort Gordon was seeing its workforce increase and continuing to perform construction projects throughout the installation.

The fort’s newest construction was Gate 6, located about 6 mi. west of Gate 1, and which opened to the public Oct. 23 with six new lanes leading into and out of the base.

The $50 million project was designed to alleviate gridlock on Gordon Highway and its connectors, as well as reduce congestion at Fort Gordon’s two-lane Gate 1, the base’s busiest entrance.

In addition, construction for the Cyber School campus has begun at the fort. Two of the training center’s major buildings on campus are under construction with a third building scheduled to start in a few years, Pick told the Augusta news source.

The goal is to improve the current 1950s infrastructure into an innovative 21st century, world class cyber campus. Although Pick noted that delays were caused by COVID19, they were few and construction was allowed to proceed.

“We just had to modify how we brought

people on the installation and off,” he said.

“We had to take a lot of mitigation measures for COVID but none of our construction projects stop, which is something we are very proud of.”

Not only are buildings being built but demolished as well. The demolition of Signal Towers will begin in December, a building that currently stands in the courtyard of the new campus.

“We are going to take it apart brick-bybrick,” Pick said.

More than 20,000 service members call Fort Gordon home, and with a supported population of 120,200 made up of soldiers, civilians and family members can be considered the sixth largest city in Georgia. With the Army Cyber Center of Excellence moving from Maryland to Georgia, most of the base’s workforce arrived in 2020. 

Construction Equipment Guide • Georgia State Supplement • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • November 3, 2021 • Page 7

4240 MLK JR Drive SW Atlanta, GA 30336 770-819-6600

Page 8 • November 3, 2021 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • Georgia State Supplement • Construction Equipment Guide