$3.00
Published Nationally
®
Midwest Edition
April 3 2010 Vol. XVII • No. 7
“The Nation’s Best Read Construction Newspaper… Founded 1957.” 470 Maryland Drive • Ft. Washington, PA 19034 • 215/885-2900 • Toll Free 800-523-2200 • Fax 215/885-2910 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com
Inside
Fargo Eyes Long-Term Flood Solution By Dave Kolpack and Steve Karnowski ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITERS
Roland Machinery Holds Business Expo...12
West Side Tractor Hosts Technology Fair...18
FARGO, N.D. (AP) The Red River Valley’s battle with major flooding for the second straight year has intensified the push for a solution that doesn’t rely on thousands of volunteers and millions of sandbags. Local governments said the best option is a massive 36-mi. (58 km)-long channel, but the project’s $1.3 billion cost and long construction timetable means that spring flooding is likely to remain a headache for another decade. “I don’t think Fargo wants to keep having national news about how it’s flooding every year,” said Russ Richards, who needed 12,000 sandbags to protect his home last year and built
a plywood wall this year to shield it from waters. “It’s also just the stress on people. We need to get it fixed.” The Red River crested March 21 at just under 19 ft. over flood stage. The flooding didn’t cause any major damage this year — partly due to the more than 1.5 million sandbags stacked along the river — but it still submerged farm fields, parks and back yards. Water surrounded some homes in rural areas. A task force of officials on both sides of the North Dakota-Minnesota border settled on the diversion channel as their preferred solution to protect a metro area of 200,000 people. “I think we have been very cohe-
Missouri River Relic Fights Deterioration, Old-Age By Kathie Sutin CEB CORRESPONDENT
More Than 8,000 Attend NTEA Show...27
Table of Contents ............4 Truck & Trailer Section .... ..................................27-32 Crushing, Screening & Recycling Section ....37-44 Parts Section ................53 Auction Section ......57-67 Business Calendar ........58 Advertisers Index ..........66
Contractors are familiar with projects that turn out to be more than they bargained for. That’s the kind of project structural repairs to the Missouri River Bridge at State Route 47 became for Patrick Dolan. His company, St. Louis Bridge Construction Co. of Arnold, Mo., had been hired to do structural repairs to the two-lane, Repairs should add seven to 10 years of additional life to historic bridge at the bridge depending on severity of upcoming winters. Washington, Mo. The 73-year-old bridge is one of the last tem under the bridge to give crews access truss bridges across the Missouri River. to the work area, inspectors got a more upMost have been torn down and replaced close-and-personal look at the bridge’s underpinnings than earlier inspections with newer designs. see BRIDGE page 61 After installation of a “Safe Span” sys-
sive,” Fargo city commissioner Brad Wimmer said of the various governments. “But we haven’t written any checks yet. It’s not a done deal.” The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which will manage the final project, said the federal see FLOOD page 25
Cat Contemplates Shifting Excavator Production Site As part of a long-term strategic initiative, Caterpillar Inc. has undertaken a study that could lead to a new hydraulic excavator facility being built in the United States. Such a move could triple the current number of hydraulic excavators now produced by the company in the United States and significantly increase Caterpillar’s employment in the United States dedicated to excavator production, and further leverage excavator production in Japan to serve increasing demand in China and across Asia. “The study is based on the current analysis of where the global excavator market is heading and how Caterpillar should position itself for continued leadership in the excavator industry,” said Gary Stampanato, Caterpillar vice president with responsibility for excavators. Currently, the company only produces two excavator models at a facility in Aurora, Ill., where it also produces wheel loaders, soil and landfill compactors, wheel dozers and components. In addition, Caterpillar produces excavators in Belgium, Brazil, China, France, Indonesia, Japan and Russia. If the contemplated decision is finalized, the new facility would manufacture the two models now made in Aurora, as well as several additional excavator models now produced in Japan and exported to the United States. “The excavator business is highly competitive and continues to evolve with a diverse and growing number of manufacturers around the world,” Stampanato added. “As the global leader in the construction and mining equipment industry, it is imperative for Caterpillar to see CATERPILLAR page 60