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Midwest Edition
August 20 2011 Vol. XVIII • No. 17
“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
Construction Spending Up During June
Birkey’s Hos ts Case Triple Threat Rodeo...10
The $8.2 million project began during the spring of 2011 and is being constructed on an aggressive schedule.
Super Boom Road Show at Martin Implement...16
Curve Reduction, Bridge Work Begins for I90 Near Spearfish By Dorinda Anderson CEG CORRESPONDENT
Murphy Tractor Holds Golf Scramble...20
Table of Contents ............4
Reducing the curve and widening of the bridges at Exit 10 over Interstate 90 near Spearfish, S.D., will improve the line of site for motorists to improve safety on this busy intersection that sees commuter traffic between Spearfish and Belle Fourche. Located on the western end of the state, traffic continues to increase with commuter traffic and truck traffic that uses Exit 10 to get to Belle Fourche, which
is a shortcut to Highway 212 that runs east and west across central South Dakota. The exit is also seeing heavier use as equipment is transported to the oil fields in northwest South Dakota and in western North Dakota, explains Joel Flesner of the South Dakota Department of Transportation. The $8.2 million project began during the spring of 2011 and is being constructed on an aggressive schedule. Revamping one bridge and building another would normally require 20 weeks, but prime consee IMPROVEMENTS page 78
Crushing, Screening & Recycling Section ....31-40 Attachments Section45-49 Truck & Trailer Section .... ..................................63-68 Business Calendar ........75 Auction Section ......75-83 Advertisers Index ..........82
Financial Worries Prompt Developers to Scrap Futuristic Skyscraper Plans LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) Developers are scrapping plans to build a futuristic skyscraper in downtown Louisville because of financial concerns. A letter making the announce-
ment was to be sent Aug. 1 to Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear and Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer, according to The Courier-Journal. It was signed by the development team of
Laura Lee Brown, Steve Wilson, Craig Greenberg and Steve Poe. The letter said the team pursued several financing options for Museum Plaza, but was see SKYSCRAPER page 80
Construction spending edged up 0.2 percent in June as increases in private nonresidential construction outweighed continuing declines in private residential and public construction spending, the Associated General Contractors of America reported in an analysis of new Census Bureau data. The construction trade association’s chief economist, Ken Simonson, predicted further imbalances in spending, with further cuts in public spending likely to offset most or all of the gains in private investment. “Private nonresidential construction is rebounding, thanks to renewed investments in power, manufacturing, and warehousing and distribution facilities,” Simonson said. Simonson noted that private nonresidential construction jumped 1.8 percent from May to June and that nine of the 11 categories that the Census Bureau breaks out recorded gains for the month. The largest monthly increases were in manufacturing and power construction, both up 4.0 percent; commercial (retail, warehouse and farm) construction, up 3.1 percent; and health care construction, up 2.3 percent. Simonson remarked that public construction spending dropped 0.7 percent in June, bringing the total decline since March 2009 to 14.3 percent. The two largest public categories have fallen by double-digit rates over the past year: highway and street construction fell 1.6 percent in June and 10.4 percent year-over-year, while educational construction dropped 4.1 percent for the month and 13.0 percent compared with June 2010 levels.