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April 23, 2016 • Vol. XX • No. 9 • 470 Maryland Drive • Ft. Washington, PA 19034 • 215-885-2900 • Toll Free 800-523-2200 • Fax 215-885-2910
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Inside
ARTBA: Final Silica Regs Based on Outdated Data The Occupational Safety & Health Administration’s (OSHA) March 24 final regulation for exposure to crystalline silica is based on outdated data and could actually increase health and safety risks for road construction workers, the American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) said.
Crystalline silica is a basic component of dust from soil, sand, granite and other minerals associated with construction. The rule, released by the Department of Labor, sets the limit of 50 micrograms per cubic meter of air, averaged over an eight-hour shift, compared to the previous level of 250 micrograms for the construc-
Heavy Equipment Operators Converge on Expo…8
By Brian Slodysko ASSOCIATED PRESS
The reconstruction of the Circle Interchange (I-90/94 at I-290) in downtown Chicago — renamed the Jane Byrne Interchange after the former mayor of Chicago who passed away in 2014, has reached the midway point.
Table of Contents ..............4
Jane Byrne Interchange Reaches Midway Point By Irwin Rapoport
Truck & Trailer Section ........ ....................................43-53 Recycling Section ......57-75 Attachments Section ............ .................................... 87-91 Auction Section ........96-105 Business Calendar ............94 Advertisers Index ..........106
see OSHA page 101
Tax Increase for Roads Funding Appears Doomed
CMW Hosts Paving Seminar…14
Nort rax Host s Annual Equi pment Demo…16
tion industry. The regulation takes effect June 23, but construction companies will have one year to comply. “As currently written, the OSHA rule could actually increase the safety threat for highway
CEG CORRESPONDENT
The reconstruction of the Circle Interchange (I-90/94 at I-290) in downtown Chicago — renamed the Jane Byrne Interchange after the former mayor of Chicago who passed away in 2014, has reached the midway point. The Ramp NW Flyover project includes a new flyover ramp to connect the northbound Dan Ryan (I-90/94) to westbound Eisenhower Expressway (I-290) movement. The work being done by McHugh Construction, which began the project in October 2014, will be completed in
March 2017. The existing ramp, beneath the new one, which spans the entire circle, will be demolished after the traffic is shifted to the new infrastructure. The interchange is adjacent to the west end of the central business district, Greektown to the northwest, and the University of Illinois at Chicago to the southwest. Built in the late 1950s and early 1960s, the interchange links to the Dan Ryan Expressway (I-90/94) to the south, the Kennedy Expressway to the north (I-90/94), the Eisenhower Expressway (I-290) to the west and Congress Parkway to the east. It has been see INTERCHANGE page 100
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) Cigarette and gas tax increases proposed by Indiana House Republicans to finance infrastructure improvements appear increasingly doomed as negotiations on a road funding plan continue in the waning days of this year’s legislative session. Valparaiso Republican and House Roads Committee chairman Rep. Ed Soliday said March 7 that no final agreement on roads funding has been reached, but that he was open to the idea of raising state taxes in a future session. House Republicans have insisted for weeks that the tax on a pack of cigarettes should be increased by $1 and the state’s 18-cent per gallon gas tax should increase by four pennies — a plan that Republican Gov. Mike Pence and the GOP-controlled Senate vehemently oppose. “Eventually, we have to deal with the issue,’’ said Soliday. “Whether that’s going to be this year or not’’ is still being negotiated. House Republicans, led by Soliday and Speaker Brian Bosma, have argued for a long-term roads financing plan that includes the tax increases, under a broad package that would create a dedicated revenue stream for infrastructure while pumping an estimated $714 million into state roads spending in 2017 alone. It also would direct about $130 million to local roads projects, with more to come in future years, according to projections from the Association of Indiana Counties. see FUNDS page 104