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July 2, 2016 • Vol. XX • No. 14 • 470 Maryland Drive • Ft. Washington, PA 19034 • 215-885-2900 • Toll Free 800-523-2200 • Fax 215-885-2910
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Inside
April ’15 to April ’16…
Employment Increases in 235 Metro Areas
Roland M achinery Dem os Intelligent Machines …14
Turnpike Authority (KTA) to improve travel in east Wichita. The overall improvements along East Kellogg — more than $300 million and funded by T-WORKS ($162 million), the city of Wichita and the KTA — includes new interchanges at Webb, Greenwich and the Turnpike. It has been divided into two pieces: the first is the Webb Road
Construction employment rose between April 2015 and April 2016 in two-thirds of the nation’s metro areas, while spending on most types of structures increased for the year despite a drop in the latest month, according to a new analysis of federal data on employment and construction spending released June 1 by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials said that many parts of the country continue to benefit from strong demand for construction services. “Construction growth remains widely distributed by location and project type,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “However, job gains were uneven: many states included metros with large gains but also areas that lost jobs. Some of those metros might have added construction jobs if contractors had been able to find enough qualified workers. The dearth of skilled construction workers in many areas threatens to hold down the extent of job gains in the coming months.” There were construction employment gains in the past year in 235 out of 358 metro areas, losses in 67 areas, and no change in 56. Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine, Calif., added the most construction jobs (14,900 jobs, 17 percent), followed by Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, Fla. (8,800 jobs, 15 percent); New York City (7,800 jobs, 6 percent); and Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, Ariz. (7,200
see WILDCAT page 44
see EMPLOYMENT page 68
Wildcat Construction Co. Inc. photo
Crews from Wildcat Construction Co. Inc. are into the second construction season for the $79 million Kellogg and Webb Interchange Project, part of an East Kellogg initiative launched by a partnership between the city of Wichita, the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT), and Kansas Turnpike Authority (KTA) to improve travel in east Wichita. Attendees Conver ge on Drone Confer ence…16
Wildcat Construction Enters Second Year of $79M Job By Irwin Rapoport CEG CORRESPONDENT
Aber ’s Towi ng & Crane Adds Gr ove to Fl eet…26
Table of Contents ............4
Crews from Wildcat Construction Co. Inc. are into the second construction season for the $79 million Kellogg and Webb Interchange Project, part of an East Kellogg initiative launched by a partnership between the city of Wichita, the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT), and Kansas
Paving Section ..........45-55 Wheel Loaders, Tool Carriers & Attachments Section ....................73-103 Business Calendar ......104 Auction Section....108-119 Advertisers Index ........118
Ind. Leaders Expect Influx of Funds for Roads INDIANAPOLIS (AP) Local government leaders in Indiana are poised to receive an influx of state money for road construction projects this summer. The Evansville Courier & Press reported that the funding takes the form of a one-time gift,
derived from an excess in income taxes, that state lawmakers chose to give local governments. Posey County Commissioner James Alsop said he foresees an increase in construction statewide because “you never want to pass up on free money.’’
Posey County received about $1.7 million from the state, while Gibson County received $900,000. Warrick and Vanderburgh counties received $2.5 million and $3.1 million, respectively. The gift amount was determined by population size.
State lawmakers said local governments also can use the money as their matching funds for the Community Crossings grant from the Indiana Department of Transportation. Grant money will be distributed see FUNDS page 12