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April 14, 2012 • Vol. IXX • No. 8 • 470 Maryland Drive • Ft. Washington, PA 19034 • 215-885-2900 • Toll Free 800-523-2200 • Fax 215-885-2910 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com
Inside
Indiana is Making ‘Major Moves’ By Jennifer Rupp CEG CORRESPONDENT
Murphy Tractor Hos ts Customer Event...8
MBI Holds 100th Annual Convention...22
Sal es Stro ng at Ri tchie Bros . Sal e... 94
Table of Contents ........4 Paving, Compaction & Milling Section ......51-73 Parts Section ..............85 Auction Section ..90-103 Business Calendar ......99 Advertisers Index ....102
In 2005, Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels constructed a plan — Major Moves — to lease the Indiana Toll Road (ITR) in exchange for an upfront payment of $3.8 billion. The Indiana General Assembly approved the plan and in April 2006, the state entered into a 75year lease with the ITR Concession Company LLC (ITRCC) to operate and manage the Toll Road. ITRCC formally assumed responsibility for all operating and maintenance of the Indiana Toll Road on June 30, 2006. Indiana set aside $2.8 billion of the toll road lease payment to fund highway construction programs. Major Moves enabled INDOT to launch a comprehensive transportation network construction and improvement program to begin or
Pigeon Creek Bridges – The Pigeon Creek Bridges in Gibson County were among the first major bridges built in the I-69 project.
complete construction on more than 200 transportation projects. Major Moves also forestalled the need to raise state income or gas taxes for transportation improvements and allowed Indiana to avoid future debt incurred by borrowing money for highway funding –
Regional Gas Price Disparities Explained
see MOVES page 38
Ky. Paying $8.3M for Property for New Ohio Bridge Approach FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) The state will pay $8.3 million for a historic estate in eastern Jefferson County in order to build a new Ohio River bridge that has been decades in the works. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet said it has contracted to buy the Drumanard estate, approximately 50 acres owned by Soterion Corp. The cabinet said in a statement that the purchase is expected to close by April 17. Kentucky and Indiana are working together on the Louisville-Southern Indiana Ohio River Bridges Project. Indiana will oversee construction of the eastern bridge connecting the Lee Hamilton Expressway in Indiana and the Gene Snyder Freeway in Kentucky, with the approach tunneled beneath the Drumanard property. Kentucky is contracting for a downtown Louisville bridge and approaches on both sides of the river.
By Lori Lovely CEG CORRESPONDENT
With fuel prices once again on the rise, there is a noticeable disparity in cost from one region to the next, leaving many consumers wondering why. Several factors affect the price of gas everywhere, including demand, supply and supply disruptions, which, in turn, can be affected by events such as hurricanes and politics, distance from the supply source, competition and federal emissions standards — or even higher environmental standards in some regions, which require specific refining, distribution and storage, all of which add to the cost. Environmental programs often require reformulated gasoline that contains additives to reduce
pollutants. Approximately onethird of the gasoline sold in the United States is reformulated. This creates “gasoline market islands,” according to John Cook, director of the petroleum division of the Department of Energy’s Energy Information Administration. Because the clean-burning requirements in these islands are unique, few refineries can supply them, leading to the possibility of higher prices in certain markets, due to demand or the potential for supply interruptions. Don’t Be Crude Crude oil acquisition costs are the single biggest driver impacting gas prices, according to Tim Hess, analyst of the U.S. Energy Information Administration. see PUMP page 34