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February 15, 2014 • Vol. IXX • No. 4 • 470 Maryland Drive • Ft. Washington, PA 19034 • 215-885-2900 • Toll Free 800-523-2200 • Fax 215-885-2910
4
Inside
Truck Crane Service Company, Eagan, Minn., supplied this Demag AC 395-1 hydraulic all-terrain crane and a Grove GMK 6350 165 ton (150 t) hydraulic all-terrain crane for the bridge construction.
FABTECH Gives Techs Tools to Succeed...8
SDLG Takes Off in American Market...12
CEG CORRESPONDENT
Ale x Lyon Kic ks Off Fl orida A ucti ons.. .16
in the rural city of Cannon Falls, nearly midway between the Twin Cities and I 90, the signalized intersections sit very close to each other and are the primary connections to the city from the four lane highway. Another six, non-signalized, lesser used crossings that serve the area also will be eliminated when the interchange is completed.
Construction employment jumped by the largest monthly amount in nearly seven years in January, bringing industry employment to the highest level since July 2009, according to an analysis of new government data by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials noted that, at the current rate of growth, it would not take long before many firms begin having difficulty finding enough skilled workers to meet demand. “Despite a second month of unusually severe weather in much of the nation, contractors more than offset the job losses that occurred in December,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “All segments of the industry added workers for the month, and the sector has increased employment at nearly double the all-industry rate in the past 12 months.” Construction employment totaled 5.9 million in January, the highest total in 4-1/2 years and an increase of 48,000 from a month earlier — the largest one-month gain since April 2007, Simonson noted. For the year, construction employment rose by 179,000 or 3.1 percent, compared with an increase of 1.7 percent for total nonfarm payroll employment. Nonresidential construction firms added 31,300 new jobs in January and 57,100 (1.6 percent) over 12 months while residential firms added 16,800 jobs for the month and 121,400 (5.8 percent) over the year.
see SIGNALS page 36
see AGC page 98
Smooth Sailing With Signals Gone on Minn. Highway By Dick Rohland As a cold, hard winter sets in on Minnesota, road crews have reached the half way point in construction of a diamond interchange to replace the last two, signalized intersections on a 90 mi. (144 km) stretch of a busy highway running between the Twin Cities of St. Paul and Minneapolis and I-90. Located on TH 52
Despite Severe Weather, Industry Adds 48,000 Jobs
Table of Contents ........4 Paving Section ......37-47 Parts Section ..............54 Excavators ............61-89 Business Calendar ......92 Auction Section ..94-101 Advertisers Index ....102
Keystone XL Oil Pipeline Clears Significant Hurdle By Matthew Daly ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON (AP) The long-delayed Keystone XL oil pipeline cleared a major hurdle toward approval Jan. 31, a serious blow to environmentalists’ hopes that President Barack Obama will block the controversial project running more than 1,000 miles from Canada through the heart of the United States. The State Department reported no major environmental objections to the proposed $7 billion pipeline, which has become a symbol of
the political debate over climate change. Republicans and some oil- and gas-producing states in the United States — as well as Canada’s minister of natural resources — cheered the report, but it further rankled environmentalists already at odds with Obama and his energy policy. The report stops short of recommending approval of the pipeline, but the review gives Obama new support if he chooses to endorse it in spite of opposition from many Democrats and environmental groups. Foes say the pipeline would carry “dirty oil’’ that contributes
to global warming, and they also express concern about possible spills. Pushing back on the notion that the pipeline is now headed for speedy approval, the White House said the report isn’t the final step and noted that the report includes “a range of estimates of the project’s climate impacts.’’ Only after various U.S. agencies and the public have a chance to weigh the report and other data will a decision be made, said White House spokesman Matt Lehrich. see KEYSTONE page 98