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Midwest Edition
October 2 2010
Vol. XVII • No. 20
“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
Historic S.D. Bridge Gets Needed Upgrade By Dorinda Anderson CEG CORRESPONDENT
BCA Holds Annual Construction Expo...10
Wacker Neuson’s Layton to Retire...81
When the Chamberlain Truss Bridge in south central South Dakota received a critical rating in 2008 for deck and structural deficiency, it was necessary to make a choice to either rehabilitate the bridge or build a new structure. The bridge, which has been on the National Register of Historic Places in South Dakota since Sept. 14, 2001, spans the Missouri River on Highway 16, and connects the downtown area of the city of Chamberlain, S.D., with the city of Oacoma. The bridge spans a causeway of the main channel of the Missouri River, extending almost a mile. Replacing the bridge was considered because of the age of the bridge and because the bridge is not structurally strong enough to handle the weight of today’s larger trucks. “Trucks at the time the bridge was built were not as heavy,” said Rick Brandner, project engineer with the South Dakota Department of Transportation, Mitchell division. “Designers were looking at whether the structure could handle current truck capacity.” see BRIDGE page 28
Alex Lyon & Son Hold McCann Sale...86
Table of Contents ............4 Mini & Compact Equipment Section ..33-45 Paving Section ........61-77 Business Calendar ........83 Auction Section ......83-95 Advertisers Index ..........94
Crews worked throughout the winter and were able to use cranes and excavators on the approach portion because they are working from land.
Gas Pipe Explosion Inspires Spending and Debate on Nationwide Issue Its Effect on By Garance Burke and Jason Dearen ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITERS
SAN BRUNO, Calif. (AP) The tragic explosion of a gas pipeline in a San Francisco suburb has shed light on a problem usually kept underground: Communities have expanded over pipes built decades earlier when no one lived there. Utilities have been under pressure for years to better inspect and replace aging gas pipes many of them laid years before sprawling communities were erected around them — that now are at risk of leaking or erupting. But the effort has fallen short. Critics said the regulatory system is ripe for problems because the government largely leaves it up to the companies to do inspections, and utilities are reluc-
tant to spend the money necessary to properly fix and replace decrepit pipelines. “If this was the FAA and air travel we were talking about, I wouldn't get on a plane,” said Rick Kessler, a former congressional staffer specializing in pipeline safety issues who now works for the Pipeline Safety Trust, an advocacy group based in Bellingham, Wash. Investigators are still trying to figure out how the pipeline in San Bruno ruptured and ignited a gigantic fireball that torched one home after another in the neighborhood, killing at least four people. Pacific Gas & Electric Co., the pipeline's owner, said Sept. 13 it has set aside up to $100 million to help residents recover. Experts say the California disaster epitomizes the risks that communities face with old gas lines. The pipe was more than 50 years old see EXPLOSION page 32
Construction By Giles Lambertson CEG CORRESPONDENT
An enduring story of the current recession has been the nation’s construction swoon, which has industry leaders and government officials alike in a daze about how to correct a grievous loss of construction jobs. With the industry’s jobless rate hovering around 17 percent and no instrument in sight to lower it, it’s little wonder that two-thirds of surveyed industry leaders believe the dilemma will continue at least another year. see SPENDING page 22