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July 21, 2012 • Vol. IXX • No. 15 • 470 Maryland Drive • Ft. Washington, PA 19034 • 215-885-2900 • Toll Free 800-523-2200 • Fax 215-885-2910 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com
Inside
Transportation Bill Means $719M for Wisconsin
Murphy Tractor Holds Equipm ent Demo...10
corridor projects into one contract. While INDOT continues to evaluate options and finalize design, maintenance of traffic and funding details, the goal is to award the contract by the end of the year 2012. The objective of the US 31 Hamilton County corridor project is to upgrade 13 mi. 20.9 km) U.S. 31 to federal interstate stan-
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) The new highway bill that Congress approved preserves funding flexibility for transit systems in Green Bay and Appleton, and provides Wisconsin $1.4 billion in funding over the next two years. The bill passed June 29 in a rare show of bipartisanship. It passed in the House by a vote of 37352, and in the Senate by a 74-19 vote. The only members of the Wisconsin delegation to vote no were two Republicans: U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson and U.S. Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner, according to a Green Bay Press-Gazette report. The measure authorizes about $100 billion for federal highway programs over the next two years. It also averts the need for another extension of funding based on the 2005 transportation bill. The current extension would have expired on June 30. U.S. Rep. Reid Ribble, a Shorewood Republican, had served on the conference committee that crafted a compromise between the original House and Senate versions. He said he was pleased that both parties collaborated on a multiyear highway bill that will restore certainty to the economy. “It’s been a long road to this point,” Ribble said. “A sound infrastructure goes hand in hand with a sound economy, and I’m glad that we finally reached this historic agreement that puts an end to the status quo of short-term, uncertain extensions.” Ribble had joined with U.S. Rep. Tom Petri, a
see PROJECT page 30
see BILL page 85
Walsh crews pour concrete on the new southbound Keystone Parkway bridge over the Hagan-Burke Trail and Cook Creek. Butler CAT Hosts Grand Opening Event...14
Indiana’s U.S. 31 Part II: Corridor on the Fast Track By Jennifer Rupp CEG CORRESPONDENT
Sal es Stro ng for Ri tchi e Bros . in Medf ord. .. 88
Table of Contents ................4
Governor Mitch Daniels announced in early March 2012 the Indiana Department of Transportation’s intent to speed up U.S. 31 Hamilton County construction and open the project to traffic three years earlier than expected (2015 vs. 2018) by combining individual
Attachment Section ....37-41 Truck & Trailer Section ........ ......................................43-55
Construction Spending Hits 2-1/2 Year Peak in May
Recycling Section ........69-82
Construction spending in May reached the highest level since December 2009 as widespread gains in private nonresidential construction, single-family and multifamily homebuilding more than offset a continuing downturn in public construction, according to an analysis of new federal data released July 2 by the Associated General Contractors of
Auction Section ..........87-93 Business Calendar ............92 Advertisers Index ..............94
America. Association officials said they expect the disparity between private and public construction is likely to persist, although enactment of a federal highway and transit bill will cushion the decline in public spending. “It is encouraging to see such a broad-based pickup in private construction,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist.
Simonson noted that private nonresidential spending climbed for the third month in a row and was 19 percent higher than in May 2011. Residential construction surged 3 percent for the month and 8 percent year-over-year, with new multifamily construction leaping 6 percent and 50 percent, respectively, and singlesee REPORT page 68